How to Use literally in a Sentence

literally

adverb
Definition of literallynext
Synonyms for literallynext
  • The story he told was basically true, even if it wasn't literally true.
  • He's a sailor who knows his ropes, literally and figuratively.
  • Many words can be used both literally and figuratively.
  • He took her comments literally.
  • The term “Mardi Gras” literally means “Fat Tuesday” in French.
  • Here is a guy who literally begs to get punched in the face.
    — John Semley, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2023
  • And that’s a parcel that is literally one block from the park.
    — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 17 Jan. 2024
  • My team has been working around-the-clock, literally around-the-clock.
    — Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2024
  • Jim Field Smith came up with the idea of the show, like literally a one- page pitch almost.
    — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 4 Aug. 2023
  • The bar for the Blue Room Christmas tree is high — literally.
    — Andrea Salcedo, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023
  • But the biggest draws here is the Alpine Spa, literally.
    — Carole Sovocool, Robb Report, 22 Dec. 2023
  • So the phrase sort of came to me literally on a date, which is quite psychotic.
    — Rose Eden, SPIN, 13 Feb. 2024
  • The idea that covers the most ground, literally, is a mantle plume.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 5 Jan. 2023
  • There have been literally hundreds of these, and the best ones were compiled on this record.
    — Mia Hughes, SPIN, 30 Jan. 2023
  • But for Garner, the best part is literally the icing on the cake–er bar.
    — Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2023
  • For Church, getting the call to play the first edition in 2018 was literally life-changing.
    — Brad Sanders, Chron, 3 Jan. 2023
  • In the sneak peek, Wade Wilson (Reynolds) has literally hung up his tights and is now selling cars.
    — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
  • For the island, it’s been a long journey up from — quite literally — the bottom.
    — Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024
  • When the teams were tied earlier in the game, Swift was shown on the broadcast literally biting her nails.
    — Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 11 Feb. 2024
  • There was literally no signals of when this thing would be over.
    — Crystal B. Shepeard, Billboard, 7 Dec. 2023
  • But the 6-foot junior is literally taking her game to new heights.
    — Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2023
  • In the show, Six-Thirty talks — not literally but via first-person voice-over.
    — Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2023
  • The company’s launch in January of 2023 was literally a decade-and-a-half in the making.
    — Jem Aswad, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024
  • This striking geometric set is made to last for up to two weeks per wear, and is literally a piece of art.
    — Harper's Bazaar Staff, Harper's BAZAAR, 30 Dec. 2022
  • So there is literally a race between the United States and China to the Moon, as happened six decades ago.
    — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 20 Oct. 2023
  • Clearly the answer is no: the airplane is literally in hundreds of pieces—if not more.
    — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 11 July 2023
  • Some venues followed suit, while others took to the streets — literally.
    — Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 24 Dec. 2022
  • Doctors clear Winn Melvin let out a sigh of relief, literally, when asked about Keaton Winn.
    — Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024
  • Maybe not as literally as an audience would imagine, like: Is that a song about so and so?
    — Lorena O’Neil, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023
  • This is the first time any major automaker has offered a system for sale to the public that will literally drive the car for you.
    — Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 12 Oct. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'literally.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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