possibly

adverb

pos·​si·​bly ˈpä-sə-blē 

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

• conceivably
• maybe
• mayhap
• perchance
• perhaps

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

At some point during the night, the vehicle stopped running, possibly due to a mechanical failure or after running out of gas, and the mother had called a friend for help, according to Bettison. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 11 Feb. 2025

The couple also worried that refusing the request would cause a major fight and possibly result in the MIL refusing to attend the wedding altogether. —Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025

Andrew Unterberger: Good planning with the available variants, combined with strong messaging about the album’s place in his catalog — both as the end of this current 2020s album trilogy, and possibly the end of his entire career arc as The Weeknd. 3. —Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 11 Feb. 2025

The latest: Although the scope of the offsets is not entirely clear, lobbyists and aides don't expect using major — or possibly any — health policy changes as payfors. —Stef W. Kight, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing possibly

• where can (someone) (possibly) be

Kids Definition

possibly

adverb

pos·​si·​bly ˈpäs-ə-blē 

1

: by possible means : by any possibility

that cannot possibly be true

2

: perhaps

may possibly recover