border on

verb

bordered on; bordering on; borders on

1

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

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

2

: 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

Plush carpeting, touches of turquoise in a largely eggshell-forward palette, tasteful landscape paintings that border on abstract, and spacious private balconies make up the subtle suite design, allaying any worries of dowdy beach resort decor. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026

Spoon the remaining filling over the dough and use a spoon to spread to the edges, leaving a 1-inch border on the edge farthest from you. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026

Diego thinks of Aliana during moments like these in Mercado Sonora that border on the absurd. — Daniel Peña, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026

Long before the cancer, my father, Rajeev, who was 63, avoided conventional medicine with an intensity that bordered on phobia. — Trisha Thadani Kirsten Potter Tanya Pérez Devin Murphy, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for border on

• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• cynodon
• denouement
• deuteron
• echelon
• epsilon