word for word

American  

adverb

1. in exactly the same words; verbatim.

2. one word at a time, without regard for the sense of the whole.

   She translated the book word for word.

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word for word Idioms  

1. Exactly as written or spoken, as in That was the forecast, word for word. Chaucer used this idiom in the late 1300s.

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Other Word Forms

• word-for-word
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of word for word

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

He said the same thing almost word for word to an “Entertainment Tonight” correspondent who took the news completely — almost dismissively? — in stride.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

That doesn’t mean your private chats about your colleague or spouse are going to show up word for word in someone else’s chat session a year or two from now.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

They point to the statement given by a different man which they say is "almost identical, word for word" to the statement given by Kanwaljit Singh.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2025

The language about the dearth of mental health facilities in Appalachia in a 1988 monograph is nearly word for word identical to quotes from articles published in 2017.

From Salon • Jul. 20, 2024

The speech received wide publicity in both the local and foreign press, and was printed, virtually word for word, in the Rand Daily Mail.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela