namely

adverb

name·​ly ˈnām-lē How to pronounce namely (audio)
: that is to say : to wit

Examples of namely in a Sentence

there's always one person stuck with cleaning up the mess, namely me
Recent Examples on the Web Self noted that both KU and the Chiefs thought their records would be better at different points in the season — namely, the 15-game mark for the Chiefs and the 29-game mark for the Jayhawks. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 The opposition far outweighed those in support, namely, the chemical manufacturing industry. Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 In recent years, two spacecraft missions have been sent to study the Sun’s corona, namely NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and the Solar Orbiter, the latter a joint mission of ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA. George Dvorsky / Gizmodo, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 And that’s not to mention the absolutely iconic face-off between Ripley and another maternal figure in the movie – namely the horrifying Alien Queen, as seen above. Dan Heching, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 The much greater risk to democracy is coming from eroding the energies that hold it in place, namely truth and trust in institutions and the rule of law. Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 But what makes tamanu oil stand out in the function of barrier repair is how those fatty acids — namely oleic acid, linoleic acid, and calophyllic acid — are all biosimilar to those in our skin, Dr. Gohara explains, which is a good thing in terms of hydration and barrier repair. Sophia Panych, Allure, 29 Feb. 2024 Mulligan is wonderful as Laura, but the attention is rightfully on her costars, namely Mitchell and Mary J. Blige, who earned an Oscar nomination for her supporting turn as Florence, Ronsel’s mother. Janey Tracey, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Their other acquisitions have come through trades — namely Nick Gordon from the Minnesota Twins, Brujan and Calvin Faucher from the Rays and Christian Bethancourt from the Guardians — and minor-league signings (with first baseman Trey Mancini headlining that group). Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'namely.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of namely was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near namely

Cite this Entry

“Namely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/namely. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

namely

adverb
name·​ly ˈnām-lē How to pronounce namely (audio)
: that is to say
the cat family, namely, lions, tigers, and related animals

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