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

See Examples For:

word for word

“When we ask about it, they just tell us the standard line, which I can quote word for word: ‘We have no updates at this time,’” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

She told the High Court she knew "100%" that other stories had been obtained through hacking because they matched her voicemails "word for word".

From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2026

Often, “Eddington” plays out so formally and predictably that it’s like watching someone write out the thing that’s making them anxious on paper, word for word.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2025

At points, she repeated lines almost word for word: “When we organize, mountains move,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2024

"You wrote out those lines as quickly as Sander said them. A trick like that could be really useful. Why, you could copy down the plays of the Lord Admiral's men, word for word!"

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood