virtuallyvir‧tu‧al‧ly /ˈvɜːtʃuəli $ ˈvɜːr-/ ●●● S2 W2 AWL adverb 
Virtually all the children come to school by bus. He was virtually unknown before running for office.► see thesaurus at almost2on a computer, rather than in the real world: Professors can help students virtually by communicating over the Internet.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Virtually everyone expects Monica to succeed.
- virtually published on the Internet
- It had virtually no towns, in fact; and those it had were very primitive indeed.
- Some of them had abandoned front rooms and virtually none opened front windows.
- The original building remains virtually intact and is now the administrative block of the North Wing.
- The recession has cut the number of Thames's commercial customers and has virtually killed off profits from selling redundant properties.
- They receive messages from virtually every nerve in the human body via connections with the optic nerve and spinal cord.
- Unlike previous generations of cruise ships, the ever-larger vessels delivered in recent years have virtually no single cabins.
- When disturbed they roll up so tightly that it is virtually impossible to unroll them.
THESAURUS
not completely or not quite: · I’ve almost finished my essay.· It's almost lunchtime.
almost. Nearly is more commonly used in British English than American English: · I’ve been a teacher for nearly 10 years now.· It’s very nearly time to go home.
almost, but not yet: · ‘Is he 60?’ ‘Not quite!’· It’s not quite time to go yet.· I’m not quite ready yet.
very nearly: · The room was practically empty.practically all/everything/everyone etc: · The frost killed practically every plant in the garden.· Virtually everyone had gone home.
especially spoken very nearly – use this when saying that the difference is not important: · All the rooms are more or less the same size.· His jacket was pretty much the same colour as his trousers.· The policy will benefit just about everyone.
British English informal, getting on toward especially American English informal almost a particular time, age, or period of time – used especially when you are not sure of the exact time, age etc: · It’s getting on for 10 years since we last saw each other.· ‘How old’s Diane?’ ‘She must be getting on toward 50.’
almost a particular number, amount, or time – used especially when the number or amount is surprisingly large or the time is very late: · It was close to midnight by the time we arrived.· They’ve spent close to $1.3 billion on the project.
almost – used when a number or amount is still increasing or a time is getting nearer: · The unemployment rate was nearing 20%.
to be very close to doing something: · She was on the verge of tears (=almost crying).· I was on the verge of giving up.· They were on the verge of making a decision.
to be very close to an extremely bad situation: · The two countries are on the brink of war.· The company was on the brink of bankruptcy.
Longman Language Activatoralmost all: almost all/every/everything/everyone · Almost all the wine had been drunk.· The burglars took nearly everything in the house that was of any value.· Almost everyone in the office has had the flu this year.
: practically all/everything/everyone etc very nearly all: · The frost killed practically every plant in the garden.· Virtually everyone had gone home.
especially spoken: just about all/everything/everyone etc very nearly all - use this when saying that the difference is not important: · I've packed pretty much everything I need for the trip.· It rains more or less every day here in November.· Sonya knew more or less everyone at the party.· She's travelled in just about every country in Europe.· The second-hand shop on the corner sells just about anything.
when something is almost true · His hair was almost white.· The moon was almost full that night.· Persuading Paul to change his mind is nearly impossible.
not completely, but almost - use this to say that something is not true, but it is almost true: · That's a good answer but it's not quite correct.· It's not quite red, it's more like a maroon color.· The orbits of the planets are almost circular, but not quite.
very nearly: · The cupboard was practically empty.· Carbon fibre tennis racquets are virtually unbreakable.· She looks practically the same as his last girlfriend.
especially spoken very nearly - use this when saying that the difference is not important: · All the rooms are more or less the same size.· His jacket was pretty much the same colour as his trousers.· Until the 18th century, the region remained more or less independent.
if a guess at a number, amount etc is close , it is almost correct but not exactly right: · "I reckon he's about 65." "You're close - he's 67."
when you have almost done something or something has almost happened · I've almost finished reading the newspaper.· It was early 1945, and the war had nearly ended.
especially spoken not completely or exactly, but almost - use this when the difference is not important: · Hanson's acting career appears to be pretty much over.· I had more or less convinced her that I was telling the truth.
almost completely: · Communist parties have practically disappeared in Europe.· Mexico's rainforest has been virtually destroyed.
not completely, but almost - use this to say that something has not happened, but that it almost has: not quite done/finished etc: · She hasn't quite finished her homework yet.· Give me five minutes - I'm not quite ready.
: all but over/finished/done very nearly finished or done: · By now the war was all but over.· "Can we go home now?" "Just one moment - I've all but finished my work."
almost at or in a particular situation, especially an extreme one: · The police describe the situation as approaching crisis proportions.· Dr Dunstable was in a state nearing nervous collapse.· I felt close to tears as I read Vera's letter.
to be very close to an extremely bad situation: · The two countries are on the brink of war.be on the verge of tears/death/hysteria etc: · Kerry is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
WORD SETSaccess, verbaccess point, nounaccess time, nounaccounting system, accumulator, nounadd-on, nounADSL, nounaffective computing, nounAI, nounALGOL, nounalias, nounANSI, anti-spam, adjectiveanti-virus, adjectiveanti-virus software, nounAPL, nounapp, nounApple, Apple Macintosh, applet, nounapplication, nounapplication software, nounarcade game, nounarchitecture, nounarchive, nounarchive, verbarray, nounartificial intelligence, nounASCII, nounASIC, nounASP, nounassembly language, nounasynchronous, adjectiveAT&T, attachment, nounaudit trail, nounautomate, verbautomated, adjectiveautomation, nounavatar, nounB2B exchange, nounB2C, adjectiveB2E, adjectiveBabbage, Charles, backslash, nounbackspace, nounbackup, nounback-up copy, bandwidth, nounbar code, nounBASIC, nounbatch, nounbatch processing, nounbaud rate, nounBerners-Lee, Tim, bespoke, adjectivebeta test, nounBig Blue, bioinformatics, nounbiometric, adjectivebit, nounbitmap, nounBlackBerry, nounbloatware, nounblog, nounBluetooth, nounBMP, nounbond certificate, book entry, bookmark, nounbookmark, verbbook of final entry, nounbook of first entry, nounBoolean, adjectiveboot, verbbootable, adjectivebootstrapping, nounbot, nounbotnet, nounbps, brain dump, nounbroadband, nounbrown goods, nounbrowse, verbbrowser, nounbubble jet printer, nounbuddy list, nounbuffer, nounbuffer, verbbug, nounbulletin board, nounbundle, nounbundle, verbburn, verbbus, nounbusiness continuity services, nounbusiness continuity services, button, nounbyte, nounCabinet Office Briefing Rooms, cable modem, nouncache, nouncache, verbCAD, nounCAD/CAM, nounCAL, nounCalifornia, nounCALL, nounCAM, nounCambridge, Capita, caps lock, nouncapture, verbcapture, nouncard, nouncathode ray tube, nounCAT scan, nounCBT, nounCD-R, nounCD-ROM, nounCD-ROM drive, CDRW, nounCD-RW, nouncentral processing unit, nouncentral processor, nounCGI, nounCHAPS, character, nounchat room, nouncheat, nouncheckbox, nounchip, nounchip card, CIM, CIO, clerical assistant, click, verbclickable, adjectiveclient, nounclient machine, client-server, adjectiveclient/server architecture, clip art, nounclipboard, nouncloaking, nounclock cycle, nounclock speed, nounclone, nouncluster, nounCOBOL, nouncode, nouncoder, nouncom, Comdex, nouncommand, nouncomm port, comms, nouncompact disc, nounCompaq, compatibility, nouncompatible, adjectivecompatible, nouncompile, verbcompiler, nouncompress, verbcomputer, nouncomputer (industry) analyst, computer-aided, adjectivecomputer-aided design, nouncomputer-aided manufacture, computer-aided manufacturing, nouncomputer-assisted, adjectivecomputerate, adjectivecomputer-based training, computer-generated, adjectivecomputer-integrated manufacture, computerize, verbcomputer-literate, adjectivecomputer modelling, nouncomputer science, nouncomputer system, computer virus, nouncomputing, nounconcordance, nounconfiguration, nounconfigure, verbconnect, verbconnectivity, nounconsole, nouncontrol, nouncontrol key, nouncookie, nouncoordinate, nounCorel, corrupt, verbcounter, nouncourseware, nounCPU, nouncrack, verbcrack, nouncracker, nouncrash, verbcrash, nounCroft, Lara, cross-platform, adjectivecross-posting, nounCtrl, nouncursor, nouncut, verbcutover, nouncyber-, prefixcybercrime, nouncybernetics, nouncyberpunk, nouncybersickness, nouncyberspace, nouncyberterrorist, nouncyberwidow, noundata, noundata bank, noundatabase, noundatabase management, database management system, data capture, noundata centre, data dictionary, noundata encryption standard, noundata file, data interchange format file, data mining, noundata processing, noundata protection, Data Protection Act, the, Dateline, daytrader, nounday trading, nounDBMS, debug, verbdecision support system, decode, verbdecompress, verbdecrypt, verbdefault, noundefragment, verbDel, noundelete, verbdeletion, noundeliverable, noundematerialize, verbdemo, verbdemonstration version, denial of service attack, noundeselect, verbdesktop, noundesktop computer, noundesktop publishing, noundestination site, dialogue box, noundial-up, adjectivedigerati, noundigicam, noundigital nervous system, digital rights management, digital wallet, nounDilbert, direct access, noundirectory, noundisaster recovery, noundisc, noundisinfect, verbdisk, noundisk drive, noundiskette, noundisk operating system, display, noundisplay, verbdistributed processing, Dixons, dock, noundock, verbdocking station, noundocument, noundocument sharing, noundongle, nounDOS, noundot-matrix printer, noundouble click, verbdouble-click, verbdouble density, adjectivedown, adverbdownload, verbdownload, noundownloadable, adjectivedowntime, noundown time, downwardly compatible, adjectiveDP, noundrag, verbdrive, noun-driven, suffixdriver, noundropdown, noundrop down, noundrop-down menu, nounDTP, noundumb terminal, dump, verbdump, nounDVD, nounDVD-ROM, nounEasdaq, noune-book, noune-business, nounECN, noune-commerce, nouneditor, nounedutainment, noune-fatigue, nounE-FIT, nounEFTPOS, nounelectronic, adjectiveelectronic bill of lading, electronic cottage, nounelectronic data interchange, nounelectronic funds transfer, nounelectronic invoice, electronic mail, nounelectronic media, electronic publishing, nounelectronics, nounelectrosmog, nounEllison, Larry, email, nounemail account, embed, verbencrypt, verbend-to-end, adjectiveenter, verbenterprise application integration, nounentry, nounEPROM, noune-publishing, nounequipment leasing, erase, verbErnie, error, nounerror message, nounescape key, Ethernet, noune-ticket, nounE-ticket, nounexecutable, nounexecute, verbexecution, nounexit, verbexpansion card, nounexpansion slot, nounexpert system, nounexport, verbextension, nounextranet, nouneye scan, nounF2F, adjectivefabricator, nounfactory preset, nounfatware, nounfeed, verbfeed, nounfield, nounfifth generation computer, file, nounfile manager, nounfilename, nounfile sharing, nounfile transfer, filing system, filter, nounfirewall, nounfirmware, nounfirst generation, nounfirst in, first out, nounfirst-person shooter, nounfive nines, nounfixed wireless, nounflash, verbflash, nounflash drive, nounflash memory, nounflatscreen, adjectiveflat screen, flip chip, nounfloor broker, floppy disk, nounfly-by-wire, nounfolder, nounfont, nounfooter, nounfootprint, nounforklift upgrade, nounformat, verbFortran, nounforum, noun404, adjectivefreeware, nounftp, nounfunction, nounfunctionality, nounfunction key, nounfungible, adjectivefuzzy logic, nounGame Boy, gameplay, noungamer, noungaming, noungarbage in, garbage out, Gates, Bill, gateway, nounghost, nounGIF, noungigabit, noungigabyte, nounGIGO, GIS, nounGlitter, Gary, global, adjectiveGLOBEX, nounGMS, nounGoogle, gopher, noungraphical, adjectivegraphical user interface, noungraphics, noungraphics card, noungraphic software, grid computing, noungroupware, nounGUI, nounhack, verbhack, nounhacker, nounhacktivist, nounhandshake, nounhard copy, nounhard disk, nounhard drive, nounhardware, nounhard-wired, adjectiveHawk, Tony, Hawking, Stephen, head, nounheader, nounhelp, nounhelp desk, nounhelp menu, help screen, nounHewlett Packard, hexadecimal, adjectivehigh-definition, adjectivehigh-level, adjectivehigh-level language, highlight, verbhome computer, home office, nounhome shopping, hookup, nounhook-up, nounhost computer, hot key, nounhot link, nounhot spot, nounHTML, nounhttp, hyperlink, nounhypertext, nounIBM, icon, nounICT, nounidentifier, nouniMac, nounimport, verbinbox, nounincremental backup, nounincubator space, industrial design, infect, verbinfected, adjectiveinformation exchange, information retrieval, nouninformation system, information technology, nouninfowar, nouninitialize, verbinkjet printer, nouninput, nouninput, verbinput/output, adjectiveinstall, verbinstaller, nounInstinet, Intel, intelligent terminal, interactive, adjectiveinteractive whiteboard, nouninterface, nouninterface, verbInternational Securities Exchange, nounInternet cafe, nounInternet Service Provider, interpreter, nounintranet, nouninvoke, verbIP address, nouniPod, nouniris scan, nounISDN, nounISP, nounIT, nouniterate, verbiTunes, iTV, nounJava, nounjob, nounjob bank, Jobs, Steve, joystick, nounJPEG, nounK, KB, keno, nounkey, nounkeyboard, nounkeyboard, verbkeyboarder, nounkeypad, nounkeystroke, nounkeyword, nounkilobyte, nounkit, nounkludge, nounknowledge base, Kraftwerk, LAN, nounlanguage, nounlaptop, nounlaser disk, nounlaser printer, nounlaunch, verbLCD, nounlight industry, nounlight pen, nounline printer, nounlink, verbLinux, nounLISP, nounlisting paper, listserv, nounload, verblocal area network, nounlog file, LOGO, nounloop, nounlow-level, adjectiveMac, nounmachine, nounmachine code, nounmachine language, machine-readable, adjectiveMacintosh, nounmacro, nounmagnetic disk, nounmagnetic media, nounmagnetic tape, nounmail, nounmail, verbmailbomb, nounmailbox, nounmailing list, nounmail merge, nounmainframe, nounmainframe computer, main memory, manual, adjectivemaximize, verbmegabyte, nounmemory, nounmemory address, memory bank, nounmemory card, nounmemory hog, nounMemory Stick, nounmenu, nounmessage, nounmetadata, nounmicro, nounmicrochip, nounmicrocomputer, nounmicroelectronics, nounmicroprocessor, nounMicrosoft, MIDI, nounmigrate, verbmigration, nounMillennium bug, minicomputer, nounminimize, verbmips, mission-critical, adjectiveMIT, mixer, nounmodel, nounmodel, verbmodelling, nounmodem, nounmodule, nounmonitor, nounMoore, Gordon, Moore's Law, nounmorphing, nounmotherboard, nounMotorola, mouse, nounmouse mat, nounmouse miles, nounmouse potato, nounMP3 player, nounMP4 player, nounMPEG, nounMSC, nounMS-DOS, multimedia, adjectivemulti-player gaming, nounmultiple applications, multiplexer, nounmultitasking, nounnagware, nounNasdaq, nounNASDAQ, Naseem, Prince, National Market System, nounNEC, nerd, nounnest, verbNetscape Navigator, network, nounnetwork, verbneural computer, nounneural network, nounneuroinformatics, nounnewbie, nounnew economy, nounNintendo, node, nounnoise, nounnotebook, nounnumber-cruncher, nounnumber crunching, nounobject, nounobject language, object-oriented, adjectiveOCR, nounOfex, nounoffice machinery, offline, adverboff-line, adjectiveonline, adjectiveonline catalogue, online updating, nounon-screen, adjectiveopen, verbOpen Group, the, open outcry, nounopen system, nounoperating system, nounoperation, nounoptical character recognition, nounoptical fibre, nounoption, nounorder, nounorganizing business, OSI, nounoutbox, nounoutput, nounoutput, verbover-the-counter dealing, over-the-counter market, over-the-counter share, over-the-counter stock, over-the-counter trading, overwrite, verbP2P, adjectivepackage, nounpacket, nounpacket-switching, nounpage, nounpage break, nounpalette, nounpalm phone, nounpalmtop, nounpaperless, adjectiveparallel data query, parallel port, parallel processing, nounPASCAL, nounpass-along, adjectivepassword, nounpaste, verbpasting, nounpatch, nounpause, verbPC, nounPC Card, nounPDA, nounPDF, nounPDF file, pen drive, nounPentium, peripheral, adjectiveperipheral, nounpersonal communicator, nounpersonal computer, nounpersonal electronic device, nounpersonal organizer, nounpetaflop, nounphishing, nounping, verbpiracy, nounpirate, verbpixel, nounplasma screen, nounplatform, nounplatform game, nounPlayStation, plotter, nounplug and play, nounplug-and-play, adjectiveplug-in, nounpointer, nounpop-under, nounpop-up, nounport, nounport, verbportable, adjectivepost, verbpost-industrial, adjectivePostScript, nounPowerPoint, nounprint, verbprinter, nounprintout, nounprint-out, nounprint preview, nounprocess, verbprocessing, nounprocessor, nounprogram, nounprogram, verbprogram file, programmable, adjectiveprogrammer, nounprogramme trading, programming, nounprogramming language, PROLOG, nounPROM, nounprompt, verbprompt, nounprotocol, nounPsion, pull down, nounpull-down, adjectivepull-down menu, nounpunched card, nounquantum computer, nounQuarkXPress, queue, nounqwerty, adjectiveRAM, nounrandom access memory, nounread, verbread only memory, read-only memory, nounread-out, nounread-write, adjectivereal-time, adjectivereboot, verbrecall, verbre-chip, verbrecord, nounrecord, verbrefresh, verbreload, verbremaster, verbremote access, nounremote control, nounremote working, nounreseller, nounreset, verbrespawn, verbretinal scanner, nounretrieval, nounretrieve, verbretry, verbreturn, nounright-click, verbrip, verbroad warrior, nounrobot, nounrollover, nounROM, nounRoute 128, nounrouter, nounroutine, nounRSI, nounRTF, nounrun, verbsalami slicing, nounSamsung, save, verbscalability, nounscalable, adjectivescan, verbscanner, nounscramble, verbscreen, nounscreen-based, adjectivescreen dump, nounscreensaver, nounscreen saver, nounscreenshot, nounscroll, verbscroll bar, nounscroll key, SCSI, nounSEAQ, search, nounsearch, verbsearchable, adjectivesearch engine, nounSEATS, nounsecurity rating, SEGA, self-healing, adjectivesend, verbserial port, server, nounserver farm, nounservice bureau, nounservice pack, nounSET, nounset-up, nounSFA, nounSGML, nounshareware, nounshift, nounshift key, nounshoot-'em-up, nounshopping bot, sig file, nounsilicon, nounsilicon chip, nounSilicon Fen, nounSilicon Glen, Silicon Valley, sim, nounSIMM, nounsimulation, nounSinclair, Sir Clive, single sourcing, skin, nounslo-mo, adjectivesmall office/home office, nounsmart, adjectivesmart bomb, nounsneakernet, nounsoft copy, nounsoftware, nounsoftware engineering, SoHo, SOHO, nounSonic the Hedgehog, sort, nounsoundcard, nounsource code, nounspace bar, nounspam, nounspeech recognition, nounspeech recognition software, speech synthesizer, nounspellcheck, nounspellchecker, nounspell-checker, nounspider, nounspider food, nounspim, nounsplit screen, nounspreadsheet, nounspreadsheet software, spyware, nounstandalone, adjectivestand-alone, adjectivestandby time, nounStarr Report, the, nounstarter pack, nounstart-up, nounstorage, nounstorage unit, store, verbstore-and-forward, nounstrategic information system, stream, verbstreaming, nounStreet Fighter, string, nounstylus, nounsubdirectory, nounsubroutine, nounsuite, nounSun Microsystems, sunrise industry, nounsupercomputer, nounsuperserver, nounsupport, verbsupport, nounswitching, nounsynchronous, adjectivesyntax, nounsynthespian, nounsystem, nounsystem administrator, nounsystems analyst, nounsystems programmer, system tray, nountab, verbtab key, nountab stop, nountag, nountag, verbtape, nountape drive, taskbar, nountechie, nountechnical support, nountechno-, prefixtechnocracy, nountechno-geek, nountechnophobe, nountechy, telecentre, nountelecommuter, nountelematics, nounteleprinter, nounteleworker, nountemplate, nounterabyte, nounteraflop, nounterminal, nountestdeck, nountext-to-speech, adjectivethird-generation, adjectivethird-party software, thumbnail, nountickbox, nountick box, nountime out, nountime-sharing, nountitle bar, nountoggle, nountoner, nountoolbar, nountoolbox, nounTOPIC, nountop-level domain, nountop ranking, nounTorvalds, Linus, Toshiba, Tottenham Court Road, touchpad, nountouch screen, nountrackball, nountransaction processing, transputer, nounTrojan horse, nountroubleshooter, nounTTS, Turing, Alan, tutorial, nounundo, verbuninstall, verbunique visitor, nounUnix, noununlisted share, unlisted stock, unrecoverable error, unzip, verbup, adverbupdate, nounupgrade, verbupload, verbupload, nounuptime, nounusability, nounUSB, nounUSB drive, nounuser-friendly, adjectiveuser group, nounuser interface, nounuser name, nounUS Robotics, utility, nounVActor, nounvalid, adjectivevalue-added reseller, vapourware, nounVDT, nounVDU, nounVGA, nounvideocard, nounvideo game, nounvideo snacking, nounviral marketing, nounvirtual, adjectivevirtual corporation, virtually, adverbvirtual memory, nounvirtual office, nounvirtual organization, virtual reality, nounvirus, nounvoice print, nounvoice recognition, wallpaper, nounWAN, nounWAP, noun-ware, suffixwar game, nounWAV, nounwearable, nounWeb 2.0, nounweb browser, nounweb crawler, nounweb design, nounweb development, web-enabled, adjectiveweb hosting, nounweb log, nounweb log file, wide area network, wi-fi, nounWi-Fi, nounwild card, nounwindow, nounWindows, Wintel, wipe, verbWiponet, nounwireless internet, wireless networking, nounWord, Wordperfect, word processor, nounworkspace, nounworkstation, nounWorld Wide Web, the, worm, nounWozniak, Steve, write, verbwrite-protected, adjectiveWYSIWYG, nounXbox, XML, nounY2K, nounYahoo!, zap, verbzip file, nounzombie, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES On a Sunday morning traffic was almost nonexistent. She had eaten virtually nothing at supper. The decision to appoint Matt was almost unanimous.
· It is almost certain that she will be given a prison sentence.· Prices are virtually certain to increase.
(=almost impossible)· Getting tickets for the concert is practically impossible.
On a Sunday morning traffic was almost nonexistent. She had eaten virtually nothing at supper. The decision to appoint Matt was almost unanimous.· These flaws could make the software virtually useless in a business environment.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· It also explains why it is virtually certain that Britain's main trunk lines will rely on optical fibre.· We are virtually certain that this incident was a deliberate provocation.· A healthy competition for places is never a bad thing and only Campbell, Scholes and Beckham are virtually certain of selection.· The Gaylord family controls about 60 percent of the voting stock, so approval is virtually certain.· A U.S. appeal of the decision is virtually certain and would take months.· A senior Democratic aide said it was virtually certain that Democrats would push for censure.· The Congress is virtually certain to declare itself independent of the Soviet Party.· After a weekend in New York, Maddux said he was virtually certain of signing a five-year deal with the Yankees.
· Although milling ceased around four decades ago, the mill machinery both externally and internally is still virtually complete.· The state earlier this month gave Brown virtually complete control over Treasure Island.· At such times his domination of the Company was virtually complete.· At least one of the Hurricanes is virtually complete and looks a viable project to rebuild to flying condition.· Recent renovation work has shown that beneath these modifications the fourth-century church is virtually complete.· Clearly a public service campaign must, within reason, aim for virtually complete coverage.
· It was just that they were all in profile and virtually identical.· Its atomic properties turned out to be virtually identical with the Murmansk uranium.· Unless Labour develops its policies the next election will be a battle between two parties with virtually identical economic policies.· The prices of forward exchange and futures contract are virtually identical once contracts have same maturity dates. 8.· However for AEs the figures were virtually identical with those of standard entrants. 2% more SEs gained good degrees than NSEs.· These magazines regularly feature comparative photos of men in outfits that look virtually identical.· The story of the Enewetak islanders is virtually identical.· On Northumbrian moors the red grouse and the black grouse live in virtually identical habitats.
· In reality, it was virtually impossible for the supporters of democracy to rally.· If by making corruption virtually impossible we also make quality performance virtually impossible, have we done a good thing?· It is virtually impossible to do justice to a book of this size in such a short review.· It was virtually impossible to live in the United States in the late 1960s without being exposed to the growing antiwar movement.· The position of the piece of gravel would have made it virtually impossible for the fish to dislodge it.· In fact, without some anxiety it would be virtually impossible to be productive.· But fish and chips are, I would suggest, virtually impossible to sling.· Such appeals were virtually impossible before an order in April 1996 by now-Chief of Naval Operations Adm.
· Others are virtually indistinguishable from the flowers with which they associate - so much so that smaller insects keep settling on them.· In our headlong pursuit to acquire wealth and worldly pleasures, Christians have become virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the world.· A material so light as to be virtually indistinguishable from natural slate.· Huckleberries are virtually indistinguishable from wild blueberries.· Results obtained for the wild-type and for the mutant protein are virtually indistinguishable.· The clinical features are virtually indistinguishable from Stuttering.· Great tracts of the Middle Kingdom will be virtually indistinguishable from the tiny entrepreneurial enclave.
· Thereafter their history remains virtually invisible for a hundred million years.· They are attached to the speaker's clothing and are virtually invisible on shot.· The ring is virtually invisible around the central cornea which is the critical area for clear vision.· Soon they may be virtually invisible except for a discreet beacon.· Because of its thin design and attractive white finish it's virtually invisible when the radiator is in place.· It will be quiet, manoeuvrable, virtually invisible to radar and capable of supersonic flight without the use of afterburners.
· Although overall revenues here were up 11% to £172.3m, after adjustment for exchange rates, they remained virtually unchanged.· Designs resulting largely from trial and error remained virtually unchanged over 200 years.· The duration of cohabitation, however, has remained virtually unchanged.· The pattern of ditched fields is virtually unchanged from that time.· Immediately afterwards, the market price of the remaining debt nearly doubled, leaving the total value virtually unchanged.· Operating ratio at the half year virtually unchanged at 112.25%.· Although sales in its chemicals division fell, productivity improvements and the pound's devaluation enabled profits to remain virtually unchanged.· The number of places in local authority and voluntary homes remained virtually unchanged.
· Union membership is virtually unknown except for isolated technicians like film projection people.· Even more than most of his predecessors, Gorbachev was virtually unknown in the West when he came to power.· As an accurate observer of, and extensive traveller in, a virtually unknown land he was unrivalled.· Atheism is virtually unknown in pagan and rural societies, but this new rationalism will usher it into the modern world.· He was virtually unknown in the United States.· Materialism has until recently been virtually unknown in Confucian societies.· Crime and drugs are virtually unknown.
· The energy, once transferred to the bath is in the form of low grade heat and therefore virtually useless.· These programs provide facilities ranging from the essential to the virtually useless depending on your point of view.
VERB· Unless these exist in some measure it becomes virtually impossible to continue any social activity.· In our headlong pursuit to acquire wealth and worldly pleasures, Christians have become virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the world.· Just when it is vital to get policy on sterling right, the task has become virtually impossible.· Complex machines Even within the first book, the two men become virtually inseparable.· Only in this century has politics become virtually confined to, and channeled through, the media.· By the 1730s this construction had been superseded by a knuckle joint at the top and the gate-leg had become virtually obsolete.· When one thinks about consciousness in this way, the impression of purposiveness in evolution becomes virtually overwhelming.
· He observed how institutional forms of control by society had virtually disappeared.· Mulchers cut and recut the grass clippings so that they virtually disappear within the lawn.· Relief-line, and indeed any use of undiluted black, virtually disappears.· In several cases, a species has virtually disappeared in a few years.· Support Forest had virtually disappeared as an attacking force, with the outnumbered Clough receiving little support from midfield.· During a 45-day storm in the winter of 1968-69, the Mount Disney and Mount Lincoln chair lifts virtually disappeared.· For some years now, the amateur market has been dominated by one-piece machines and separates have virtually disappeared from the scene.· The gap between the knowledge of. the skilled worker and bourgeois technician has virtually disappeared or been greatly reduced.
· The problem is virtually eliminated in commercially grown mussels, by harvesting them before they are five years old.· Countries now routinely providing vitamin A have virtually eliminated vitamin Arelated blindness and death.· A few candidates may virtually eliminate themselves by their hesitancy and you can even consider refusing to continue the interview.· Those are the costs Proposition 186 would virtually eliminate.· For the bureaucracy itself, Marx noted how a Bonapartist regime virtually eliminated the risk of public scrutiny and criticism.· Either, combined with common-sense precautions exercised by drivers and passengers, can virtually eliminate air bag hazards.· Absentee landlords and large concentrations of landholdings were virtually eliminated.· He reacted rather than acted, and that virtually eliminates all of his effectiveness.
· Those price agreements, which virtually guarantee the firms a 25 percent profit on the drugs, are being renegotiated this month.· Yet this refusal to intervene virtually guarantees that core group behavior will continue to be encouraged by profit-minded entrepreneurs.· Official leniency is exploited by the smugglers who can virtually guarantee secure entry, whatever happens.· Yet continuity of basic policy is virtually guaranteed by the retention of Norman Lamont at the Treasury.· Like those cars, it's available in numbers exclusive enough to virtually guarantee future classic status.· When he batted, his name did not merely promise runs as virtually guarantee them.
· Horizontal influences have been virtually ignored in Soviet and Western historiography alike.· But when he visits their classrooms, they virtually ignore his presence.· In contrast, non-communicable diseases have been virtually ignored by local health departments.· Once, this was difficult to cross; then, railways spanned it; now, air travel virtually ignores it.· General elections have become more presidential and the mass media virtually ignore the secondary party leaders.· Meanwhile, the cyber gods controlling the random selection virtually ignored some large districts in other areas of the state.· Batch processes and multipurpose plants are virtually ignored.· After months of virtually ignoring the programs, and years of well-publicized cutbacks, airlines and hotels are suddenly getting generous.
· Although overall revenues here were up 11% to £172.3m, after adjustment for exchange rates, they remained virtually unchanged.· Our striking power remained virtually intact.· Even 2 out of every 3 farm labouring families stayed put and overall 3 out of every 4 households remained virtually the same.· I had remained virtually silent throughout this meeting, confining myself to copious note-taking.· Designs resulting largely from trial and error remained virtually unchanged over 200 years.· Forbes, similarly, is remaining virtually free of financial strings in the form of contributions.· Thereafter their history remains virtually invisible for a hundred million years.· While they collected endorsements and magazine covers, Strug remained virtually faceless.
WORD FAMILYadjectivevirtualadverbvirtually
1almost SYN practically: Virtually all the children come to school by bus. He was virtually unknown before running for office.► see thesaurus at almost2on a computer, rather than in the real world: Professors can help students virtually by communicating over the Internet.