barely

/ˈbɛrli/
adverb
  1. By a very small margin; almost not.
    • He barely escaped the fire before the roof collapsed.
    • The plant barely survived the winter without water.
    • She barely had enough money to buy the bus ticket.
  2. Only a very short time before; just recently.
    • We had barely sat down when the movie started.
    • The sun had barely risen when the birds began to sing.
    • I had barely finished my homework when my friend called.
  3. In a way that is simple and without extra things; scarcely.
    • The old house was barely standing after the storm.
    • He spoke barely above a whisper, so I could hardly hear him.
    • The room was barely furnished with just a bed and a chair.
What does "barely" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean