: nothing more than : only
was merely trying to help
… no boy wanted to be on record as considering a girl a major fox only to discover that she considered him merely cool.—
Richard Russo
Richard RussoNot merely decorative, the crisscrossing slats and fins variously filter light and provide privacy.—Rob Haskell
Rob HaskellMany merely desire a pleasant afternoon perusing the exhibitions in their local gallery.—Launt Thompson
Launt ThompsonMany of the deep-sea fishes, for example, have pathetically weak skeletons and terribly flabby bodies—in extreme cases they are the consistency of gelatin and seem to be composed merely of mouth and stomach.—Tim Flannery
Tim Flannery… because of technology what in the past would have taken days took merely hours.—Lee Child
Lee ChildExamples of merely in a Sentence
the outside noise was merely a raccoon knocking over the garbage can
Recent Examples on the Web
Holmes proposed an almost identical bill last year, but never called it for a committee hearing, saying her goal was merely to start discussions.
—Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 6 Mar. 2025
House Republican leaders have stressed that Medicaid isn't specifically mentioned in the budget resolution and said benefits would not be cut, noting that last week's vote was merely to begin the reconciliation process.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2025
The second miscalculation is assuming that the macroeconomic environment is merely an external factor rather than a determinant of strategy.
—Rebecca Takada, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
As for what the Yankees could expect from Rengifo, that answer goes beyond merely filling a defensive gap in the infield.
—Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for merely
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Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 6 Mar. 2025
House Republican leaders have stressed that Medicaid isn't specifically mentioned in the budget resolution and said benefits would not be cut, noting that last week's vote was merely to begin the reconciliation process.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2025
The second miscalculation is assuming that the macroeconomic environment is merely an external factor rather than a determinant of strategy.
—Rebecca Takada, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
As for what the Yankees could expect from Rengifo, that answer goes beyond merely filling a defensive gap in the infield.
—Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for merely
Cite this Entry
“Merely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/merely. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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