dearlydear‧ly /ˈdɪəli $ ˈdɪrli/ adverb 
James loved her dearly. I would dearly like to know what she said.2in a way that involves a lot of suffering, damage, trouble etc: The weakness in their defense has already cost them dearly this season. Ordinary people are paying dearly for the mistakes of this administration.3dearly beloved spoken used by a priest or minister at the beginning of a Christian service
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- She loves her children dearly.
- Grandmother displayed all the warmth, enthusiasm, and flamboyance that she had loved so dearly in her brother Theodore.
- He dearly wished they would hurry up and tell him what to do.
- It has cost the Trust dearly in cash.
- She dearly wished that her only daughter had settled down with Les Williams, a hardworking friend of her son.
- The fighting during 1968 had cost them dearly.
Longman Language Activatorto suffer because of bad things you have done or mistakes you have made
· If you tell lies, it is you who will suffer in the end.make somebody suffer · When his mother caught him cheating she really made him suffer.suffer for · All over the world, people are suffering for their political or religious beliefs.· I shouldn't have drunk all that wine - I'll suffer for it tomorrow morning.
to have a bad experience as a way of being punished for something bad that you have done, mistakes you have made etc: pay for: · Miller refused to testify and paid for it by being labelled a communist.make somebody pay: · They think I've forgotten what they did to me, but I'll make them pay.pay dearly: · She drank far too much at the party and paid dearly for it the next day.pay the price/the penalty: · Tony didn't do any studying all year but paid the price when it came to the exams.
British to suffer or start having problems as a result of mistakes or decisions you made at an earlier time: · The school overspent on its budget last year, and now it's having to count the cost.count the cost of: · We are now counting the cost of our earlier mistakes.
if a mistake costs someone dearly or costs someone dear , they suffer a great deal because of it: · This scandal could cost the government dearly.· It was only a small mistake, but it cost us very dear.
if you know or find out something to your cost , you realize that something that happened or something you did at an earlier time is now causing problems or is likely to cause problems in the future: · As we now know to our cost, the disease is highly contagious.· Many people have found out to their cost that insurance policies do not always cover damage from flooding.
if you do something at a cost to someone or something, that person suffers because you do it: · She's struggled to keep the family going on her own -- at considerable cost to herself.· Ms Gideon has defended her cause at great cost to her personal and political reputation.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY James loved her dearly. I would dearly like to know what she said. The weakness in their defense has already cost them dearly this season. Ordinary people are paying dearly for the mistakes of this administration.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSVERB
1very much: James loved her dearly. I would dearly like to know what she said. The weakness in their defense has already cost them dearly this season. Ordinary people are paying dearly for the mistakes of this administration.· He would dearly like to spend a month taking lessons from him, starting now: would that be possible?· Richard would dearly like to help her.· He would dearly like to do lots of things with her.· Mr Bush would dearly like a congressional resolution of this sort, passed by a big margin after a short debate.· Notably, biologists already have a good idea of how genes work but they would dearly like to know more.
· Also, I should dearly love to rest.· At this point Katz would dearly love a little navigational help from above.· But what I'd dearly love to know is what on earth made him so suspicious of me?· Suddenly alarmed, the people who had dearly loved the dogs were forced to hold their puppies under water till they drowned.· He thinks this is his last go-round for basketball, a sport he dearly loves.· I wish that Merseyside, which I love dearly, would follow the example of Dublin.· Although she would dearly love to know if it was the norm for women to follow him home!
· The Profitboss steers clear of such indulgence, for in the end everyone pays dearly for the privilege of the few.· He paid dearly for his error.· It was the crime of the century, but most of them paid dearly for it.· But whereas the wretched Io had to pay dearly for the distinction, Europa was exceedingly fortunate.· The Profitboss never buys customer belief, for he knows that in the end both he and the customer would pay dearly.· He whines that I am ruining his weekend, but is rarely displeased with the spectacle I have paid dearly for.· Mr Bush's father paid dearly for breaking his promise and raising taxes, so Mr Bush must deliver something.· When it did so, the enemy paid dearly.
· She dearly wanted to see her family and persuade them to forget the ill-feeling that had split the Corosini apart.· They had made a friend - a very good friend - and they dearly wanted him to come and see them again.· The first thing to note about the raw strategy is that it dearly wants to have it all.· The Blues wing-back is currently in talks with the club and dearly wants to extend his stay in East Anglia.
· He dearly wished they would hurry up and tell him what to do.
James loved her dearly. I would dearly like to know what she said.2in a way that involves a lot of suffering, damage, trouble etc: The weakness in their defense has already cost them dearly this season. Ordinary people are paying dearly for the mistakes of this administration.3dearly beloved spoken used by a priest or minister at the beginning of a Christian service