border

1 of 3

noun (1)

bor·​der ˈbȯr-dər 

1

: an outer part or edge

at the borders of the forest

2

textiles : an ornamental design at the edge of a fabric or rug

3

: a narrow bed of planted ground along the edge of a lawn or walkway

a border of tulips

4

: boundary

on the border between New York and Canada

crossed the border into Italy

5

: a plain or decorative margin around printed matter

wedding invitations with a delicate gold leaf border

bordered

ˈbȯr-dərd 

adjective

border

2 of 3

verb

bordered; bordering ˈbȯr-d(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to put a border on

a rug bordered with a pattern of leaves

bordered the garden with pansies

2

: to touch at the edge or boundary : bound

borders the city on the south

Slovakia borders Poland.

intransitive verb

1

: to lie on the border

The U.S. borders on Canada.

2

: to approach the nature of a specified thing : verge

borders on the ridiculous

borderer

ˈbȯr-dər-ər 

noun

borderer

3 of 3

noun (2)

bor·​der·​er ˈbȯr-dər-ər 

plural -s

1

: an inhabitant of a border

valiant borderers who built their log huts in the woods

—Van Wyck Brooks

specifically : an inhabitant of the border between England and Scotland

2

archaic

a

: one that is located nearby : neighbor

b

: one that verges

borderers on the savage state

—William Hazlitt

3

[border entry 2 + -er] : one that makes or applies a border

Synonyms of border

Noun (1)

• perimeter
• edge
• boundary
• edging
• confines
• circumference

Verb

• margin
• edge
• surround
• bound
• fringe
• rim

Examples of border in a Sentence

Noun (1)

He grew up in Malaysia, near the Indonesian border.

They live just beyond the western border of the park.

the border of the Sahara

The quilt is quite plain except for its colorful border.

a broad red border on each plate

He planted pansies in the border.

Verb

Their property borders the park.

Tall trees border the avenue.

Two rivers border the city.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Lower Manhattan became frozen beyond expectation, with subways stopping south of Canal Street, a border that had earlier applied only to cars. —Amina Kilpatrick, NBC news, 19 June 2026

The move, aimed at securing Finland’s collective defense, roughly doubled NATO’s border with Russia. —Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026

Verb

The country borders Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Iran. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026

The county immediately shut down the far-right southbound lane of Sunrise Boulevard just south of Wildridge Drive and the sidewalk bordering the sound wall due to concerns that the barrier would fall. —Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 17 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English bordure, from Anglo-French, from border to border, from Old French bort border, of Germanic origin; probably akin to Old English bord board

Noun (2)

Middle English, from border, bordure border + -er, -ere -er

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing border

• border collie
• border on
• border terrier
• brush border
• herbaceous border
• the border

Rhymes for border

• boarder
• corder
• order
• warder
• camcorder
• disorder
• recorder
• reorder
• suborder
• transborder

Kids Definition

border

1 of 2 noun

bor·​der ˈbȯrd-ər 

1

: an outer part or edge

2

: a boundary especially of a country or state

3

: a narrow bed of plants along the edge of a garden or walk

4

: an ornamental design at the edge of a fabric or rug

bordered

-ərd 

adjective

border

2 of 2 verb

bordered; bordering ˈbȯrd-(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to put a border on

border the garden with flowers

2

: to be located close or next to

the U.S. borders on Canada

3

: to come very close to being : verge

that remark borders on the ridiculous

borderer

-ər-ər 

noun

Medical Definition

border

noun

bor·​der ˈbȯrd-ər 

: an outer part or edge see brush border