word for word
Americanadverb
-
in exactly the same words; verbatim.
-
one word at a time, without regard for the sense of the whole.
She translated the book word for word.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of word for word
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400
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.
“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
The real opera sets Pushkin’s play, which was written as a response to Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” word for word.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2024
The language about the dearth of mental health facilities in Appalachia in a 1988 monograph is nearly word for word identical to quotes from articles published in 2017.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2024
This time, he was accompanied by a Yiddish-speaking officer who translated him word for word, even the simple questions.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
