Meaning & use
oral
Spoken rather than written, or relating to the mouth.
See it in a sentence
Students gave an oral report on their research instead of submitting an essay.
The dentist checked her oral health during the routine cleaning.
A note on using this word
Oral refers to speech or the mouth, while verbal can describe language in either spoken or written form; careful writers keep the distinction.
Words with a similar meaning
spokenverbal
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. noun
A spoken examination or test, especially at a school or university.
He was very nervous before his French oral exam next week.
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