jointly
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of jointly
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at joint, -ly
Explanation
When more than one person or group works on something together, they do it jointly. A jointly researched and written term paper should have both the authors' names on the first page. If you and your best friend buy a car together, you do it jointly, and if your whole family chips in to fund your cousin's trip to India, you contribute jointly. You might hear that your favorite radio program is jointly supported by a few local businesses, or read in a poetry magazine that it's jointly edited by two people. Earlier, the preferred word was joinly, though jointly comes from joint and its sense of connection.
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.
Maximize the final joint return: In the year of a spouse’s death, there is one last opportunity to file jointly.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
The three outlets announced Monday they are jointly filing a lawsuit in U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
In August, Tokyo and Washington confirmed that they had jointly intervened to halt a slide in the yen after it fell to a fresh 40-year low.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The CIA’s director, William Casey, and his team needed little convincing by their MI6 counterparts to jointly act on Kuzichken’s information.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Perhaps the most important role for a second is analyzing adjourned positions jointly with the player.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
