1
as in linguistic
of or relating to words or language the child didn't yet have the verbal skills needed to tell the doctor about the pain he was experiencing

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2
as in oral
made or carried on through speaking rather than in writing a verbal agreement carries less force than a written contract

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of verbal This verbal confrontation didn't happen, but the discomfort of her children finding about their granddad was real. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025 One incident involved a group of people having a verbal argument that apparently spun out of control. Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 17 Mar. 2025 The 32-year-old victim engaged in a verbal dispute with the attacker on March 10 around 9:55 p.m. near the corner of E. 208th and E. 210th Sts. Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2025 Comstock shot Root with the Taser without first giving a verbal warning as Root was running. Max Levy, The Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for verbal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for verbal
Adjective
  • The paper 'Notable Representations in Large-Scale Transformers' by Alfred E. Neuman explores how transformer models encode linguistic and semantic patterns across multiple layers.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
  • From icy dips to linguistic leaps, these lovebirds went above and beyond to pop the question!
    Ronnie Li, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The value comes from the intellectual friction created—similar to how practicing oral arguments with a colleague helps sharpen reasoning.
    Lars Daniel, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
  • There’s evidence of oral bacteria being detected in the brains of animal subjects who had also shown signs of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
    Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Ornithologist Richard Prum also takes a communicative view of art, but one where art is meant to be evaluated for its beauty.
    Shawn Simpson, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Their steering is communicative, responsive and precise.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Understanding the rhetorical power of warning Americans that they are being played for suckers, at a personal and visceral level, was part of the winning strategy of the 2016 Trump candidacy.
    Tess Wilkinson-Ryan, TIME, 18 Mar. 2025
  • This question, though somewhat rhetorical, again displays how well-meaning adults are nevertheless detached from the difficulties and dangers young people face in the modern internet age, where cyberbullying (and yes, even extremist ideology) runs rampant.
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 17 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Verbal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/verbal. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

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