Reportedly

/rɪˈpɔːrtɪdli/

adverbBeginner📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning1 idiom/phrase3 questions

Definitions

1

According to information or a statement that someone has provided; supposedly.

/rɪˈpɔːrtɪdli/

adverbneutralBeginner
General

According to what someone has said or written; allegedly.

The concert has reportedly been canceled due to bad weather.

💡 Simply: It's like when you hear something and you're sharing it, but you didn't see it happen yourself. Like, "The ice cream truck is reportedly at the park!" You heard it from someone else.

👶 For kids: When someone *says* something happened, but you're not sure if it's true.

More Examples

2

She reportedly won the lottery, but hasn't confirmed it.

3

The negotiations reportedly ended without an agreement.

4

He reportedly moved to California last month.

How It's Used

Journalism

"The suspect was reportedly seen fleeing the scene."

Legal

"The company has reportedly filed for bankruptcy."

General Conversation

"He reportedly went to the store to buy some milk."

Synonyms & Antonyms

Idioms & expressions

report for duty

To appear at a place, such as a military base or a place of work, for the purpose of fulfilling a duty.

"The soldiers were required to report for duty every morning at 0600 hours."

From 'report' + '-edly'. 'Report' comes from Old French *reporter*, ultimately from Latin *re* ('again') + *portare* ('to carry'). The suffix '-edly' indicates a manner or way of doing something.

The word 'reportedly' became increasingly common in the late 20th century due to greater emphasis on sourcing information and attributing statements.

Memory tip

Think of 'reportedly' as a 'reported' fact, not necessarily confirmed, but what someone *said* happened.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin and Old French
Original meaning

"To carry back; to announce."

reportedly saidreportedly statedreportedly claimsreportedly seenreportedly confirmed

Common misspellings

reportidlyreportadly

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written