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Synonyms

fully

American  
[fool-ee, fool-lee] / ˈfʊl i, ˈfʊl li /

adverb

  1. entirely or wholly.

    You should be fully done with the work by now.

  2. quite or at least.

    Fully half the class attended the ceremony.
fully British  
/ ˈfʊlɪ /

adverb

  1. to the greatest degree or extent; totally; entirely

  2. amply; sufficiently; adequately

    they were fully fed

  3. at least

    it was fully an hour before she came
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • quasi-fully adverb
  • unfully adverb

Etymology

Origin of fully

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English fullīce; equivalent to full 1 + -ly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There is one variable that no amount of advance planning can fully neutralize: jet lag.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

These devices have become extremely sophisticated, but drivers will tell you that there is no substitute for the real thing when it comes to fully assessing a car.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

In general, we need to fully eliminate the CBO’s projected primary deficit.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026

Their findings suggest that commonly cited explanations such as climate stress or direct competition alone cannot fully explain Neanderthal extinction.

From Science Daily • Apr. 28, 2026

“Because I do things like travel back in time before the STM has been fully tested for human use,” Ridge said.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.