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literally adverb

Click to hear the UK pronunciation of this wordClick to hear the US pronunciation of this word/ˈlɪt.ər.əl.i/, /-rə.li//ˈlɪt ̬.ɚ.əl.i/ adv

Definition

informal used to emphasize what you are saying
He missed that kick literally by miles.
I was literally bowled over by the news.
having the real or original meaning of a word or phrase
They were responsible for literally millions of deaths.
We live literally just round the corner from her.
You'll lose marks if you translate too literally (= one word at a time).
informal simply or just
Then you literally cut the sausage down the middle.

(Definition of literally adverb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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