1
as in vocal
expressed or communicated by voice
a baby's crying is usually interpreted as an oral expression of distress
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in verbal
made or carried on through speaking rather than in writing
lawyers for the plaintiff will be presenting oral arguments before the Supreme Court next week
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of oral
During oral arguments for Mahmoud in April 2025, some justices briefly discussed another precedent: the Supreme Court’s 1943 judgment in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, resolved at the height of U.S. involvement in World War II.
—
Charles J. Russo, The Conversation, 5 June 2025
In briefs filed before Wednesday’s oral arguments, the government lawyers sided with those from the state’s three big for-profit electric utilities — Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025
Approximately 25 years ago, the president of a communications company that specialized in oral presentations invited me, along with about 20 other small business owners, to a demonstration.
—Lynne Agress, Baltimore Sun, 26 May 2025
On the substance of the issue, oral arguments underscored what everyone who knows and appreciates the presence of charter schools should well understand.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for oral
Charles J. Russo, The Conversation, 5 June 2025
In briefs filed before Wednesday’s oral arguments, the government lawyers sided with those from the state’s three big for-profit electric utilities — Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025
Approximately 25 years ago, the president of a communications company that specialized in oral presentations invited me, along with about 20 other small business owners, to a demonstration.
—Lynne Agress, Baltimore Sun, 26 May 2025
On the substance of the issue, oral arguments underscored what everyone who knows and appreciates the presence of charter schools should well understand.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for oral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oral
Adjective
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Martin had been a vocal opponent of prosecuting people charged in the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
28 May 2025
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Even before Indiana Landmarks became involved, Swihart said the community has been vocal for years about reusing the Roosevelt site.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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These were meetings of twenty-five or so women, each of whom paid the substantial sum of ten dollars to hear Fuller exercise her verbal brilliance in the course of a thirteen-week-long series, in semiprivate settings.—
James Marcus,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
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The incident began with a verbal argument, according to Pembroke Pines Police.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
31 May 2025
Adjective
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The videos also tend to show garbled subtitles that almost match the spoken words, which is an artifact of subtitles on videos present in the training data.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2025
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Imagine for example that the new language was easy to write down but extremely hard to use via the spoken word.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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Several cast members returned, including co-writer and co-director Chris Sanders, who created and voiced Stitch.—
Jordana Comiter,
People.com,
24 May 2025
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There was no voiced opposition, though a representative for the Association of Independent Commercial Producers did amend its support, contingent on the addition of commercials as eligible projects.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oral. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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