verbally
adverb
ver·bal·ly
ˈvər-bə-lē 
1
a
: in words : through or by the use of words
Yet it seems whenever somebody writes about him, Sheen gets verbally slugged for not driving around in some beat-up old Chevy.—
Hal Rubenstein
Hal RubensteinIn Chapter 1 … Burge explains verbally, formally, and symbolically the system of notations to be used in the book.—Datamation
Datamation
b
: in spoken rather than written words
In the centuries before the Magna Carta, agreements were made and kept verbally.—Janeen R. Adil
Janeen R. Adil… John's will was not a written will. It was a nuncupative will, which means on his deathbed, John verbally told persons how he wanted his estate divided or dispensed.—Sharon Tate Moody
Sharon Tate Moody… is intended to express, whether verbally or in writing, or in any other way, the real process of thought.—Trewin Copplestone
Trewin CopplestoneAlthough some prospects arrive at these football factories verbally committed to a college, most are still free agents.—Bruce Feldman
Bruce Feldman
c
: with regard to words or language
Lessing has never been an elegant writer. At her better and best, she is cranky, … pleonastic, defensive, and verbally self-indulgent.—Susan Lardner
Susan LardnerSome toddlers walk early and talk late; others are verbally precocious but happily creep and crawl until the middle of the second year.—Susan Ochshorn
Susan Ochshorn2
: as a verb
a noun being used verbally
Examples of verbally in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
McLaughlin, in a statement to NBC News, said the man had assaulted and verbally harassed a federal agent which led to his arrest.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 8 July 2025
The subpoena letter to Armstrong included a reference to one event in which an unnamed Cal Poly professor allegedly verbally harassed Jewish students on April 4, 2024 at a community Hillel and Mustangs United for Israel event.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 8 July 2025
Listening: Truly hearing what your colleagues are saying, both verbally and nonverbally.
—Heather V. MacArthur, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
Then in his 40s, he’s shown verbally accosting young employees, some of whom were teenagers at the time.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for verbally
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Chad De Guzman, Time, 8 July 2025
The subpoena letter to Armstrong included a reference to one event in which an unnamed Cal Poly professor allegedly verbally harassed Jewish students on April 4, 2024 at a community Hillel and Mustangs United for Israel event.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 8 July 2025
Listening: Truly hearing what your colleagues are saying, both verbally and nonverbally.
—Heather V. MacArthur, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
Then in his 40s, he’s shown verbally accosting young employees, some of whom were teenagers at the time.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for verbally
Cite this Entry
“Verbally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/verbally. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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