1.adverbWord for word; not figuratively; not as an idiom or metaphor
"When I saw on the news that there would be no school tomorrow because of the snowstorm, I literally jumped for joy, and hit my head on the ceiling fan."
2.adverb(degree, contranym) Used non-literally as an intensifier for figurative statements: virtually, so to speak (often considered incorrect; see usage notes)
"He was so surprised, he literally jumped twenty feet in the air."
3.adverbUsed to intensify or dramatise non-figurative statements; tending towards a meaningless filler word in repeated use.
"I had no idea, so I was literally guessing."
4.adverbUsed as a generic downtoner: just, merely.
"You literally put it in the microwave for five minutes and it's done."