How to Use exactly in a Sentence

exactly

adverb
  • The levers need to be exactly positioned.
  • And that's exactly what aesthetic treatments can do for us.
    Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 13 Apr. 2023
  • So, why exactly will the duchess and the Sussex kids miss the coronation?
    Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 13 Apr. 2023
  • Tom is a scrub nurse who knows exactly what’s going on and demands that the instruments and surgery pads are continuously counted.
    Lincee Ray, EW.com, 11 Oct. 2024
  • Giants fans are unsure who exactly is running the show, and most are unconvinced of the direction the team is going, believing that a four-year ramp-up should yield more results.
    Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Mar. 2023
  • News of the charges comes exactly three years after the two deputies allegedly snatched 24-year-old Jesus Alegria off the street and took him for a wild ride that left him bleeding from the head.
    Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2023
  • In that first year, Michaels, Chevy Chase, and company were still figuring out exactly what the show was, in terms of both structure and sensibility.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024
  • That's exactly what the guys did as soon as Tran left the room.
    Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2024
  • That’s exactly what Ellie and Zach bring to the bake-off in the U.S.
    Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2023
  • For the past 35 years, that’s exactly what Robb Report has done, with its Best of the Best awards.
    Paul Croughton, Robb Report, 18 June 2023
  • How, exactly, would Lashley and the rest of The Hurt Business fit in?
    Blake Oestriecher, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024
  • The skewer is exactly as the name suggests: three munchkins on a stick.
    Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 20 Feb. 2024
  • However, with a record of 48-32, that's exactly where the team stands.
    Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 29 June 2023
  • For the most part, no two letters are rendered in exactly the same way.
    Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 12 Sep. 2024
  • The film is exactly 3 hours long and is about the creation of the atomic bomb through the Manhattan Project.
    Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 21 July 2023
  • What's even more special is that the phase was exactly π.
    Charles D. Brown Ii, Scientific American, 16 May 2023
  • Your Foot Type No two feet are exactly the same (even your own).
    Samson McDougall, Health, 4 Aug. 2023
  • Here’s exactly how to keep your heart safe as the colder season creeps in.
    Erica Sweeney, SELF, 30 Oct. 2023
  • Which towns and cities, exactly, have been sacked and plundered?
    Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024
  • The maps can be exactly the same, but the Constitution must be obeyed.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 June 2024
  • And that’s exactly what happened, and that was the start of a downward spiral.
    Jack Birle, Washington Examiner, 17 May 2023
  • Text the group chat and get packing because here’s exactly how to find cheap flights.
    Leah Campano, Seventeen, 5 June 2023
  • The best thing to do is exactly the opposite: Get more light, get out of bed, and get active.
    Karen Pallarito, Health, 8 June 2024
  • There’s a good chance this is exactly what happened on your phone or iPad, too.
    Chris Velazco, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2023
  • And that is exactly what the whale was doing when the watchers spotted him.
    Julia Daye, Sacramento Bee, 1 May 2024
  • In this era of concerts, the fan knows exactly what song is coming and when long before the performer hits the stage.
    Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Mar. 2024
  • But what is the price, exactly, for genius and prestige?
    Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
  • It’s been living on the ranking for 16 weeks, so that means that exactly one-fourth of those frames have been spent in charge of the tally.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2024
  • The bakery walls were painted three times to get the color exactly right.
    Khushbu Shah, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
  • But no two people process loss in exactly the same way.
    Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 14 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exactly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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