actually
adverb
ac·tu·al·ly
ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lē 
-sh(ə-w)ə-lē;
ˈaksh-lē,
ˈaks-
1
: in act or in fact : really
trying to find out what actually happened
won't actually arrive for an hour
2
: in point of fact
—used to suggest something unexpected
was surprised to learn that she could actually speak German
Synonyms
Examples of actually in a Sentence
actually, I'd rather spend the evening at home
I call her Aunt Emily, but she is actually my cousin, not my aunt.
Recent Examples on the Web
So, the dinosaur was wind-rated up to 40 miles an hour of sustained wind — which is actually after the point that the festival would’ve closed down anyway, so there were no scenarios in which that was gonna have to be killed.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024
If Tony and Carmela were actually placed into witness protection, why would the U.S. Marshals put them a 40-minute drive away from their McMansion in a city where the chance of him being spotted by one of his vengeful former colleagues would be incredibly high?
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
After the grim discovery, Wilson was told those ashes weren’t actually her mother, whose body has since been identified among the 190 decaying bodies.
—Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
Of course, raising animals is in many ways not at all comparable to raising children, and no one who doesn’t actually want a dog should get one as a practice baby.
—Kate Cray, The Atlantic, 16 Apr. 2024
The songs on the new album are actually the gathering storm clouds: All were written before the breakup.
—Nancy Kruh, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
The question is how many of those solar and wind farms will actually get built.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
To decide what actually makes the cut each quarter, Shefferman and a team of sommeliers, WSET certified wine professionals, and winemakers come together to blind taste his choices.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024
The chocolate chip pancakes can actually be made up to two months ahead of time and frozen.
—Zoe Denenberg, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2024
Chris Willman, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024
If Tony and Carmela were actually placed into witness protection, why would the U.S. Marshals put them a 40-minute drive away from their McMansion in a city where the chance of him being spotted by one of his vengeful former colleagues would be incredibly high?
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
After the grim discovery, Wilson was told those ashes weren’t actually her mother, whose body has since been identified among the 190 decaying bodies.
—Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
Of course, raising animals is in many ways not at all comparable to raising children, and no one who doesn’t actually want a dog should get one as a practice baby.
—Kate Cray, The Atlantic, 16 Apr. 2024
The songs on the new album are actually the gathering storm clouds: All were written before the breakup.
—Nancy Kruh, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
The question is how many of those solar and wind farms will actually get built.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
To decide what actually makes the cut each quarter, Shefferman and a team of sommeliers, WSET certified wine professionals, and winemakers come together to blind taste his choices.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024
The chocolate chip pancakes can actually be made up to two months ahead of time and frozen.
—Zoe Denenberg, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'actually.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near actually
Cite this Entry
“Actually.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/actually. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
actually
adverb
ac·tu·al·ly
ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lē
ˈak-sh(ə-w)ə-lē
: in fact or in truth : really
she actually spoke Spanish
actually, I didn't want to go
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