Possibly
//ˈpɒs.ə.bli// adv
adv ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
Adverb
- 1 Perhaps; indicates that the proposition may be true (is not certainly false) regardless of any facts or circumstances known to, stated by or implied by the speaker.
"Near-synonyms: maybe, perhaps, mayhap, mayhaps, by chance, perchance, peradventure; conceivably"
- 2 In the realm of possibility; indicates that the action may successfully be performed (is not impossible) regardless of any facts or circumstances known to, stated by or implied by the speaker that might limit the performance.
"I'm much stronger than you, so you can't possibly win."
Adverb
- 1 by chance wordnet
- 2 to a degree possible of achievement or by possible means wordnet
Example
More examples"Get up as early as you possibly can."
Etymology
From possible + -ly.
Related phrases
More for "possibly"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.