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

That’s almost word for word the same explanation Sarah Sanders gave when she left Trump’s first administration.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

New York copied this law almost word for word from Oregon, where our challenge is now before the Ninth U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

Translated word for word, they become something parseable only by a bilingual transportation engineer, not by the people the projects are supposed to serve.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026

It is why I chose to read it out, word for word, to the chancellor – scrutinising their promises on your behalf.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2025

Not word for word, but you know what I’m talking about.

From "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher