verbal

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adjective

ver·bal ˈvər-bəl

: of, relating to, or consisting of words

verbal instructions

: of, relating to, or involving words rather than meaning or substance

a consistency that is merely verbal and scholastic

B. N. Cardozo

: consisting of or using words only and not involving action

verbal abuse

: of, relating to, or formed from a verb

a verbal adjective

: spoken rather than written

a verbal contract

: verbatim, word-for-word

a verbal translation

: of or relating to facility in the use and comprehension of words

verbal aptitude

verbal

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noun

: a word that combines characteristics of a verb with those of a noun or adjective compare gerund, infinitive, participle

Example Sentences

Adjective He scored well on the verbal section of the test. They had a verbal exchange. a verbal agreement to finish the work We gave only verbal instructions.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Jack Weller’s verbal pratfall inspires me to tell you a story: A pair of animals died at a small zoo.

Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2022 During Penn State’s trip to Ann Arbor earlier in October, there was a verbal spat between teams and Nittany Lions players allegedly threw peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at their opponents.

Rachel Bachman, WSJ, 23 Nov. 2022 The name-dropping continues at a shamelessly furious pace, as both verbal checks and increasingly funny cameos, which accumulate into one big absurdist in-joke.

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2022 Dorsey had attended the Sooners game vs. Kansas, and watched Mayfield’s infamous crotch-grab and verbal tirade toward the Jayhawks’ sideline.

cleveland, 20 Nov. 2022 Keyone Jenkins, a three-star from Miami, Florida, announced his verbal pledge on Saturday afternoon.

Nick Alvarez | Nalvarez@al.com, al, 19 Nov. 2022 Childers replied that the resolution was passed with a verbal amendment on the floor that said the funds would be sourced from the 5/8-cent sales tax from 2017.

Eplunus Colvin, Arkansas Online, 19 Nov. 2022 That game was notable for seven technical fouls and a verbal spat between Booker and Thompson that eventually resulted in Thompson's first career ejection.

David Brandt, ajc, 17 Nov. 2022 An Apopka police officer, accused of driving under the influence, was caught on video pushing and making verbal threats to a man after a car crash Tuesday evening, an arrest report said.

Amanda Rabines, Orlando Sentinel, 17 Nov. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'verbal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.