possibly

adverb

pos·​si·​bly ˈpä-sə-blē How to pronounce possibly (audio)
Synonyms of possiblynext
1
: in a possible manner : by any possibility
that's all she could possibly do
2
: by merest chance : perhaps
possibly he will recover
3
: it is possible or imaginable : conceivably
… a political libel which may possibly damage me.—G. B. Shaw

Synonyms of possibly

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of possibly in a Sentence

he may possibly recover after such a serious mistake, but it doesn't seem likely
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.
Examining pieces of it can explain how Mars' moons -- and possibly moons elsewhere -- came to be. — Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026 Vascular experts break down the differences between superficial and deep vein thromboses, the possibly life-threatening complication of pulmonary embolism and what treatment typically looks like. — Erica Sloan, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026 As a result, the people who understand the clock can make better choices and possibly have better outcomes from both a psychological and financial standpoint. — Charles T. Almond Iii, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Talking to Nieman Lab, experts suggested that Meta could possibly use the policy to avoid millions in licensing fees from news organizations by requiring all business users to share a wealth of AI training data simply for running a business page. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for possibly

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of possibly was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing possibly

Rhymes for possibly

See All Rhymes for possibly

Browse Nearby Words

possibleness
possibly
possie
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

possibly

adverb
pos·​si·​bly ˈpäs-ə-blē How to pronounce possibly (audio)
1
: by possible means : by any possibility
that cannot possibly be true
2
: perhaps
may possibly recover
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All