1
: in a close manner or relationship
nearly related
2
a
: almost but not quite
nearly identical
nearly a year later
b
: to the least extent
not nearly as good as we expected
Examples of nearly in a Sentence
I see her nearly every day.
We lived there for nearly two years.
Nearly all of us got sick that weekend.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Assemblies of God took root in Australia nearly a century ago, and denomination leaders there also considered the autonomy of each church to be sacrosanct.
—
Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 19 Dec. 2025
While the series, which included an original movie and concert tours, concluded after four seasons in 2011, the fandom surrounding the franchise has not faded in the nearly 15 years since.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 2025
Under his leadership, the streaming service achieved more than five-fold revenue growth and quadrupled its monthly active user base, while contributing nearly 25% of SPNI’s overall revenue.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025
With nearly 3 million users— around a third of its population — the United Arab Emirates has the world’s highest cryptocurrency adoption rate, by some estimates.
—Rebecca Cairns, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nearly
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 19 Dec. 2025
While the series, which included an original movie and concert tours, concluded after four seasons in 2011, the fandom surrounding the franchise has not faded in the nearly 15 years since.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 2025
Under his leadership, the streaming service achieved more than five-fold revenue growth and quadrupled its monthly active user base, while contributing nearly 25% of SPNI’s overall revenue.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025
With nearly 3 million users— around a third of its population — the United Arab Emirates has the world’s highest cryptocurrency adoption rate, by some estimates.
—Rebecca Cairns, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nearly
Cite this Entry
“Nearly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nearly. Accessed 22 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nearly
adverb
near·ly
ˈni(ə)r-lē 
1
: in a close manner or relationship
nearly related
2
: almost but not quite
nearly the same
nearly missed the train
3
: to the least extent
not nearly enough
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share