virtual
adjective
vir·tu·al
ˈvər-chə-wəl 
-chəl;
ˈvərch-wəl
1
: being such in essence or effect though not formally recognized or admitted
a virtual dictator
2
: being on or simulated on a computer or computer network
print or virtual books
a virtual keyboard
: such as
a
: occurring or existing primarily online
virtual shopping
b
: of, relating to, or existing within a virtual reality
a virtual tour
3
: of, relating to, or using virtual memory
4
: of, relating to, or being a hypothetical particle whose existence is inferred from indirect evidence
virtual photons
compare real sense 3
Examples of virtual in a Sentence
The website provides a virtual tour of the stadium.
Recent Examples on the Web
The book is not altogether convincing that a single superpower could actually manage to monopolize this virtual world of communications networks, information flows, and large-scale technological systems.
—
Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
These bots are being marketed as educational tools, creative outlets, virtual friends and even therapists.
—Brooke Lieberman, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2025
Some lawmakers have shied away from hosting in-person events, in some cases shifting to virtual meetings with voters instead.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2025
With Regional Pricing enabled, prices are automatically optimized for each user’s local economy and updated periodically as Roblox’s virtual economy—and the global economy in the physical world—shifts.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for virtual
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Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
These bots are being marketed as educational tools, creative outlets, virtual friends and even therapists.
—Brooke Lieberman, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2025
Some lawmakers have shied away from hosting in-person events, in some cases shifting to virtual meetings with voters instead.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2025
With Regional Pricing enabled, prices are automatically optimized for each user’s local economy and updated periodically as Roblox’s virtual economy—and the global economy in the physical world—shifts.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for virtual
Cite this Entry
“Virtual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/virtual. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
virtual
adjective
vir·tu·al
ˈvərch-(ə-)wəl
ˈvər-chəl
: being in effect but not in fact or name
a virtual dictator
: being on or simulated on a computer or computer network
a virtual classroom
virtually
adverb
-ē
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