Definition of verbalnext
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 Someone gives a verbal go-ahead or sends an email, and there is little time to budget-check spending before the commitment to purchase is made. Andrew Zhyvolovych, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Do not rely on vague verbal agreements. Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2026 For context, late in the fourth quarter, tensions flared after Caitlin Clark and Bonner got into a verbal exchange following a foul. Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026 Taylor also threw out plenty of (verbal) invites during her press tour for The Life of a Showgirl. Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for verbal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for verbal
Adjective
  • Learning the Indonesian language, Bahasa Indonesia, is also part of the French team’s program, as linguistic proximity has already proven effective with other international partners.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 July 2026
  • That his language was English and not American was the cause of ample anxiety for a linguistic nationalist like Webster, no less than my own as evidenced in my rejoinders to a bartender at the Boot Pub more than two centuries later.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2026
Adjective
  • Wurth saw two more physicians who refused to discuss hormones before a urologist started her on estrogen gel, oral progesterone and a vaginal estrogen cream.
    Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 30 June 2026
  • Zambrano and his clients are currently waiting for a date from the California Court of Appeal to hear oral arguments.
    Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 29 June 2026
Adjective
  • But the highest-value layer will be people who combine financial fluency with the kind of strategic, communicative intelligence that helps the whole organization make better decisions.
    Jack O'Hara, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • The great speculators became talkative and communicative or dull, sullen, silent, and peevish.
    Owen Lamont, Fortune, 2 July 2026
Adjective
  • But Trump so far, it’s mostly been rhetorical.
    NBC news, NBC news, 28 June 2026
  • Beginning in her early teens, Joyce loved watching Kirk’s debates on Instagram, seeing in them not carefully honed rhetorical tactics but authentic civility.
    Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Verbal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/verbal. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

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