just

1. 1
   simplyadverb

   Only, simply, or merely; no more than what is named.

   He is just a boy.

   We are just friends.

   UsagePut it right before what it limits: just a boy, just two minutes, just friends.

   Similaronly, merely, simply, purely

2. 2
   adverb

   At a very small distance in time or space from a stated point, whether before it, after it, or away from it.

   The phone rang just after we sat down to dinner.

   They bought a small farm just outside the city limits.

   UsageBefore after, before, outside or over: just after dinner, just outside town.

   Similarright

3. 3
   exactlyadverb

   Exactly, precisely, or perfectly, as in just right, just enough, or just as planned.

   The shoes fit just as I hoped.

   This soup tastes just the way my grandmother used to make it.

   Similarexactly, precisely, perfectly

   Note

   Exactness has been this adverb's work for centuries. Shakespeare's "just 'twixt twelve and one" and Dryden's "just enough" both mean "to a nicety." Sidney goes further and uses it after a verb as a manner adverb, "guided my hand so just to the heart," where modern English would say exactly. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • The exactness sense of the adverb has existed for centuries; Wiktionary documents historical examples from Sidney and Shakespeare. en.wiktionary.org
   • Shakespeare wrote "just 'twixt twelve and one", with just expressing exactness. Fenton speaks the line in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act IV, scene vi. shakespeare.mit.edu
   • John Dryden used "just enough", expressing the precise amount required, in The Cock and the Fox. en.wikisource.org
   • Philip Sidney wrote "guided my hand so just to the heart", using just after the verb and its object to mean accurately. Dorus speaks these words in The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia. gutenberg.org
4. 4
   moments agoadverb

   Moments ago or only very recently, used with the simple past or the perfect, as in she has just arrived.

   The train has just pulled out.

   She just called to say she is safe.

   UsageGoes before the main verb, with the present perfect or simple past: she has just arrived, she just called.

   Similarrecently

   Note

   Recency is treated as a narrow margin of time: the action happened with barely any interval since. That places it beside the "by a narrow margin" meaning under the broader idea of "barely." It also turns up in compact phrases such as a boat "just in from a voyage," where no verb of arriving is needed at all.

5. 5
   absolutelyadverb

   Absolutely or positively, used to intensify rather than to limit.

   That cake was just wonderful.

   The view is just amazing.

   UsageBefore an adjective, often in exclamations: just wonderful. Just fine can sound grudging.

   Similarabsolutely, simply, truly, really, positively

   Note

   A degree adverb scales the adjective that follows instead of limiting it, so "just splendid" means splendid through and through.

6. 6
   adverb

   Used before a command to make it sound simpler, gentler, or more insistent.

   Just sign here and you're done.

   Just take your time.

   Note

   Grammarians call this a sentence adverb: it adjusts the tone of the whole command rather than modifying one word in it. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • The imperative-softening use of just is classified as a sentence adverb. en.wiktionary.org
   • A sentence adverb modifies the whole clause or sentence rather than an individual word. en.wiktionary.org
7. 7
   barelyadverb

   Barely, or by a narrow margin.

   The plane just cleared the trees.

   We just managed to squeeze through the gap.

   UsageOften just in time, just managed to, only just.

   Similarbarely, narrowly, scarcely

   Note

   Narrowness can be measured in several directions. In time, "just in time" leaves nothing to spare. In space, windows "just under the ceiling" sit close against it. In probability, "the piece just might fit" makes success barely possible. The shared idea is a margin so thin it almost fails, which links it to the "moments ago" meaning.

8. 8
   adverb

   Used to make a statement or request sound casual and minor, presenting the action as light and unimportant.

   We just wanted to check you were all right.

   Sorry to bother you, but could I just ask one quick question before you go?

   UsageMakes a request sound small: I just wanted to ask, could I just check something.

   Similaronly, simply, merely

9. 9
   adverb

   Added to "might", "may", or "could" to hint that something is possible, perhaps more than anyone would expect.

   If the rain holds off, this little team may just pull off the upset of the season.

   Keep that receipt, because you might just need it if the TV breaks.

   Similarwell, actually

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