locally
Americanadverb
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in a particular place, area, location, etc.
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with regard to place.
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in a local area; nearby.
Not much interest is taken in the chess tournament locally.
adverb
Etymology
Origin of locally
First recorded in 1400–50, locally is from the late Middle English word localliche. See local, -ly
Explanation
Things that happen locally occur close to a specific place — near your town, for example. Locally grown tomatoes are picked on nearby farms and sold at your neighborhood market. If you shop locally, you support your neighbors' businesses whenever possible, buying things that are made and sold in your city or state. If there's been an increase in population locally, it means the total number of people living in your immediate area has gone up. This adverb can also describe things that occur only in one restricted part of the body: "Apply the ointment locally to the itchy spots."
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.
It is known locally as the place to pray for career success when many people are having trouble finding it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
“We tend to assume their resilience and capabilities are externally procured when, in fact, much of that power is locally produced,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Researchers in the Food Microbial Sciences Unit at the University of Reading tracked the microbial and biochemical changes that occurred as three locally made Oxfordshire cheeses matured.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
Irrigation is another key measure at the vineyard, which makes mostly white Riesling -- Germany's signature wine variety -- as well as some red Spaetburgunder, and sells its produce locally.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Imagine we live in a three-dimensional universe, locally distorted by matter into a fourth physical dimension that we cannot perceive directly.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
