1.
You use ~ to indicate that something is expressed in speech rather than in writing or action.
They were jostled and subjected to a torrent of ~ abuse...
We have a ~ agreement with her...
ADJ: usu ADJ n
~ly
Teachers were threatened with kitchen knives, physically assaulted and ~ly abused...
ADV
2.
You use ~ to indicate that something is connected with words and the use of words.
The test has scores for ~ skills, mathematical skills, and abstract reasoning skills...
ADJ: ADJ n
3.
In grammar, ~ means relating to a verb.
...a ~ noun.
ADJ: usu ADJ n