1
: in a physical manner : in accord with physical laws
It seemed that such long distance flights would be physically impossible without a highly energy-efficient form of soaring.—Henri Weimerskirch
2
: in respect to the body
a physically demanding job
Just two weeks before his death, Belushi was physically ejected from an L.A. convenience store at 2 a.m. when he insisted on buying liquor after hours.—Peter Carlson
I loved it; but I was physically exhausted when I walked out of that studio on Sunday nights …—Brent Musberger

Examples of physically in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Court documents indicate that McKinsey alleged his in-laws had long abused him for being a transgender man and alleged that Jang had physically and emotionally harmed him and their children for years and allowed her parents to do the same. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026 Facing a midweek deadline to make a decision on his future, the Dolphins have opted not to bring back cornerback Storm Duck, who has been on the physically unable to perform list since the start of training camp. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026 Even computers physically disconnected from networks could communicate by generating patterns of heat that act like Morse code, OpenAI’s Noam Brown recently suggested. — Harry Booth, Time, 20 Oct. 2026 Watson said the two officers approached Amanchukwu but did not physically remove him. — Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for physically

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of physically was circa 1528

Cite this Entry

“Physically.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/physically. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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