potentially
adverb
po·ten·tial·ly
pə-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)lē 
: in a potential or possible state or condition
—used to describe the possible results or effects of something
a potentially dangerous situation [=a situation that has the potential to be or become dangerous]
a potentially useful feature
By creating a personal home page, anyone can publish material that potentially can be read by millions of people worldwide.—
Peter H. Lewis
Peter H. LewisThe phenomenon seemed significant for both the science of immunology and, potentially, for medicine.—Daniel J. Kevles
Daniel J. KevlesPotentially adding to the cost of the bail-out is the prevailing FDIC notion that some banks are simply too big to fail.—L. J. Davis
L. J. DavisThe result, they say, is that children are less compelled to play outside, potentially stunting emotional and physical development and exacerbating a nationwide epidemic of childhood obesity.—Sumathi Reddy
Sumathi ReddyExamples of potentially in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In another moment of the exchange, which was released by authorities and did not include timestamps, Robinson writes about potentially trying to retrieve his rifle but says a law enforcement car is nearby.
—
ABC News,
5 July 2026
At the time, the colonies were still under British rule, making the creation of a national flag a potentially dangerous act.
—
Pete Cuddihy,
FOXNews.com,
5 July 2026
But the dangerous downside, of course, is that people without licenses, especially children, could potentially do this and put themselves or others in a world of hurt.
—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
5 July 2026
Following the exercise, the Royal Navy capability team and the Air and Space Warfare Centre began analyzing the results, with additional testing potentially planned aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth.
—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
4 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for potentially
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ABC News,
5 July 2026
At the time, the colonies were still under British rule, making the creation of a national flag a potentially dangerous act.
—
Pete Cuddihy,
FOXNews.com,
5 July 2026
But the dangerous downside, of course, is that people without licenses, especially children, could potentially do this and put themselves or others in a world of hurt.
—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
5 July 2026
Following the exercise, the Royal Navy capability team and the Air and Space Warfare Centre began analyzing the results, with additional testing potentially planned aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth.
—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
4 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for potentially
Cite this Entry
“Potentially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/potentially. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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