verbally

American  

[vur-buh-lee] / ˈvɜr bə li /

adverb

1. using spoken words rather than written words; orally.

   The committee verbally OK’d the park renewal plan.

2. by the use of words, rather than by physical means.

   Pain inflicted verbally can leave deep, invisible scars.

3. Grammar. with the function of a verb.

   When used verbally, the term ‘bird-dog’ is hyphenated.

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Other Word Forms

• nonverbally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of verbally

First recorded in 1570–70; verbal ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

verbally

Now, Eatherly’s ilk gloats about verbally terrorizing American citizens going about their day-to-day lives on American streets and beams this content around the globe for money.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

“If I asked him verbally, he’d write it on a piece of paper,” he said of Hendizadeh.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

“I have been attacked again and again, and I am the most physically and verbally attacked public figure or politician of modern times,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

The Wall Street Journal reported allegations of Manifold being verbally abusive and mishandling company information, which he disputes.

From Barron's ● May 27, 2026

Paranoid got tacked on about a year later, after I verbally attacked a librarian for trying to hand me propaganda pamphlets for an underground Communist force operating out of the basement of the public library.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia