How to Use merely in a Sentence

merely

adverb

• For the artist, though, the goal was merely to capture the essence of the person in front of him.
  — Liam Hess, Vogue, 2 Aug. 2023
• It is not meant merely for Smith; it’s meant for Jones, too.
  — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 19 Feb. 2024
• The goal is no longer merely to get rest, the new branding suggests.
  — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 12 Oct. 2023
• It is merely meant to recognize the team with the most success in the AP polls.
  — Kevin Skiver, The Courier-Journal, 10 Jan. 2024
• Instead of a chest wound with heavy bleeding, the man merely has a sore leg.
  — Tommy Trenchard, NPR, 19 May 2024
• And the fact that most items are sold at an affordable price is merely just a bonus.
  — Sophie Dweck, Town & Country, 24 Feb. 2023
• But if this sounds merely like an all-day serving of camp, don’t be fooled.
  — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 June 2023
• The flashing yellow light in front of the old post office merely warns folks to slow down.
  — Kyle Whitmire | [e-mail], al, 20 July 2023
• That’s merely a record, something that can be usurped in 30 or 40 years by the next prodigy that comes along.
  — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2023
• At least in the last 100 years since Babe Ruth switched from pitching to merely playing the outfield.
  — Evan Grant, Dallas News, 15 Sep. 2023
• Instead, the posts will merely show a blank, colored box.
  — PCMAG, 6 Mar. 2023
• Still, don't expect Outlander to merely tack on those last four episodes to the start of season 7.
  — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 10 May 2023
• So, rather than bring down the mood, the late-night showers merely served to further energize the crowd.
  — Katie Campione, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2024
• The custom hand guard is merely part of a larger rollout, but one that could prove trendy.
  — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 16 Aug. 2024
• Biden is telling voters that the numbers point to a brighter future, while Trump says the gains are merely the fumes of his time in office.
  — Fatima Hussein, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2024
• Now, Inter merely needs a win, draw or one-goal loss to reach the semifinals.
  — Nick Hennion, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2023
• Its cash on hand, at the end of September, was merely $1.8 million.
  — Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 23 Mar. 2024
• The Risers merely had to call out of work and drive from their home in nearby Cleveland, Texas, to the stadium.
  — Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2023
• But if—like at my place—space is tight, merely dedicating a shelf to the joys of drinking does the trick just as well.
  — Jermaine Gallacher, Vogue, 19 Mar. 2023
• In another class are the planets, with the Earth being merely one among many.
  — Carlo Rovelli, WSJ, 28 Dec. 2023
• One of those four-point runs came early in the first set that merely brought the Islanders to 6-5 while the other came early in set three for a 7-3 lead.
  — Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024
• Athletes could now profit from their own brands, and the women were no longer merely at the mercy of the N.C.A.A.’s neglect.
  — Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024
• The results are merely vague, in a way that seems willfully naïve about Japan, about labor, and about art.
  — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
• The ruling did not expand the Voting Rights Act but merely maintained the status quo.
  — Marilyn W. Thompson, ProPublica, 13 June 2023
• In the Book of Acts, merely touching St. Paul's handkerchief cured the sick and cast out evil spirits from the afflicted.
  — Thomas Phippen, Fox News, 4 June 2023
• The authors have argued that their posts merely state opinions.
  — Delger Erdenesanaa, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024
• This was a coup attempt, and Eastman’s memo was merely a thin veneer of legalese to justify it.
  — Matt Ford, The New Republic, 2 Aug. 2023
• That is a lot of fuss over a color often dismissed as merely pretty.
  — Amanda Foreman, WSJ, 6 July 2023
• Mind you, Heyman also notes that Santander is merely a backup plan if the Yankees can't retain Soto.
  — Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
• Somebody with impaired vision, conducting a fingertip search, might gather as much as—or more than—a viewer with perfect sight who merely looks.
  — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024

Last Updated: 9 Dec 2024