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
  • Not to anyone who has ever sat through a lousy production of the play, perhaps at college, and found the character’s linguistic errors—his trademark—to be about as funny as athlete’s foot.
    Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2025
  • While Google Translate has long facilitated linguistic cross-pollination, a more subtle translation is needed now – one that transcends words and dives into the fabric of thoughts, feelings and aspirations.
    Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The case was filed last year and the decision followed oral arguments in January.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2025
  • The category faces pressure from the rise of powder mix concentrates and oral rehydration brands such as Pedialyte and Electrolit that are challenging the dominance of traditional sports drinks.
    Jessica Golden, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Lewis said city crews were helpful and communicative.
    Michelle L. Quinn, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025
  • 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
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 5 Apr. 2025.

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