border on

phrasal verb

bordered on; bordering on; borders on

: to have a border on (something) : to lie on a boundary of (something)

The area my ancestors come from borders on the Atacama Desert.

: to be very like (something) : to come very close to being (something)

The play's dialog borders on the ridiculous.

an enthusiasm bordering on fanaticism

Examples of border on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web However, critics still argued that her decision bordered on child neglect. —

Amy Morin, Parents, 30 July 2024 Migrants wait to be processed by the U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on June 18, 2024, in Jacumba Hot Springs, California. —

Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 1 July 2024 In a world that borders on sci-fi, Horowitz is a decisive guide. —

Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 26 June 2024 The downside is a corporate culture that borders on fanaticism, with the occasional weaponization of principles to the detriment of people and groups with less power. —

Amanda Loudin, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for border on

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'border on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.