1
: having a body : physical
2
: of or relating to the body
bodily comfort
bodily organs
1
a
: in the flesh
b
: in a manner that involves physically moving someone's body
The blast lifted him bodily into the air.
Jerry Wexler called him a "parasite" and threw him bodily out of his office.—
Jack Kroll
Jack Kroll2
: as a whole : altogether
Synonyms
Examples of bodily in a Sentence
Adjective
The victim suffered serious bodily injury.
the old man suffered from a number of bodily ailments
Adverb
The blast lifted him bodily into the air.
The house will have to be moved bodily to the new site.
Recent Examples on the WebSamira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
Rice faces one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors said the child abuse charge comes with a special allegation of great bodily injury.
—Jason Green, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
The babies didn’t survive, but Nicole still had blood and bodily fluids on her backside.
—Paloma Chavez, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
Knox, a cornerback for the SMU football team, turned himself into Glenn Heights police on one count of aggravated assault, one count of a crash causing serious bodily injury and six counts of a crash causing bodily injury, according to police records.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
The ways that states across the country are denying bodily autonomy differ from the ways 20th-century Ireland did, and yet, all too frequently here, someone’s parent, sibling, or lover is deprived of life-saving or life-sustaining medical care, or forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term.
—Maggie Doherty, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
There are few bodily injuries more relatable than bruises.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Amber Alerts are issued if a missing child is 17 years old or younger and in danger of serious bodily harm and death.
—Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2024
Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
Stevenson also enhanced the drama by drawing in concepts, like bodily autonomy, that could speak to modern audiences — much like films of the ’70s that faced cultural anxieties.
—William Earl, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
Adlon knows how to walk that fine line between sweet and vulgar, which comes in handy here since Glazer and Rabinowitz’s script is determined to milk every ounce of humor out of every ounce of bodily fluid that may be spilled, squirted or secreted by expectant moms.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2024
He was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, malicious wounding, making threats of death or bodily injury and making threats to bomb or damage buildings, police said in the release.
—Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024
The affidavit alleges the blood draws should be considered bodily injury to a child because the test was unneeded and Gasser knew it.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2024
The Bexar County Sheriff's Office said James had been arrested in January 2022 on three charges of assault, bodily injury of a family member.
—Josh Cradduck, NBC News, 7 Dec. 2023
Coughing is a bodily reflex that offers protection from germs or irritants.
—Claire Gillespie, Health, 17 Mar. 2024
Reproductive justice values emphasize bodily autonomy, access to comprehensive healthcare, and the right to make informed decisions about one’s body and health.
—Larada Lee, Essence, 9 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Online court records show McClure has been charged with murder, criminal confinement resulting in serious bodily injury and battery on a person under 14.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
Rice faces one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors said the child abuse charge comes with a special allegation of great bodily injury.
—Jason Green, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
The babies didn’t survive, but Nicole still had blood and bodily fluids on her backside.
—Paloma Chavez, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
Knox, a cornerback for the SMU football team, turned himself into Glenn Heights police on one count of aggravated assault, one count of a crash causing serious bodily injury and six counts of a crash causing bodily injury, according to police records.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
The ways that states across the country are denying bodily autonomy differ from the ways 20th-century Ireland did, and yet, all too frequently here, someone’s parent, sibling, or lover is deprived of life-saving or life-sustaining medical care, or forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term.
—Maggie Doherty, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
There are few bodily injuries more relatable than bruises.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Amber Alerts are issued if a missing child is 17 years old or younger and in danger of serious bodily harm and death.
—Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2024
Adverb
Autonomous-vehicle companies currently must report to the DMV any collision that results in property damage, bodily injury or death, and the reports are available online.
—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
Stevenson also enhanced the drama by drawing in concepts, like bodily autonomy, that could speak to modern audiences — much like films of the ’70s that faced cultural anxieties.
—William Earl, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
Adlon knows how to walk that fine line between sweet and vulgar, which comes in handy here since Glazer and Rabinowitz’s script is determined to milk every ounce of humor out of every ounce of bodily fluid that may be spilled, squirted or secreted by expectant moms.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2024
He was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, malicious wounding, making threats of death or bodily injury and making threats to bomb or damage buildings, police said in the release.
—Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024
The affidavit alleges the blood draws should be considered bodily injury to a child because the test was unneeded and Gasser knew it.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2024
The Bexar County Sheriff's Office said James had been arrested in January 2022 on three charges of assault, bodily injury of a family member.
—Josh Cradduck, NBC News, 7 Dec. 2023
Coughing is a bodily reflex that offers protection from germs or irritants.
—Claire Gillespie, Health, 17 Mar. 2024
Reproductive justice values emphasize bodily autonomy, access to comprehensive healthcare, and the right to make informed decisions about one’s body and health.
—Larada Lee, Essence, 9 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bodily.' 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 bodily
Cite this Entry
“Bodily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bodily. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
bodily
adjective
bodi·ly
ˈbäd-ᵊl-ē 
: of or relating to the body
bodily organs
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