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
It is bordered on one side by a strip of Iranian coastline.
—
Bart Jansen, USA Today, 13 June 2026
Soccer occupies a place in Iranian life that borders on the sacred.
—Shirvin Zeinalzadeh, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
This estimate borders on fantasy.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
Shots fired near the Colorado-Wyoming border on Monday triggered a massive response from law enforcement agencies in both states after a Wyoming deputy was injured, sheriff’s officials said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for border on
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Bart Jansen, USA Today, 13 June 2026
Soccer occupies a place in Iranian life that borders on the sacred.
—Shirvin Zeinalzadeh, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
This estimate borders on fantasy.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
Shots fired near the Colorado-Wyoming border on Monday triggered a massive response from law enforcement agencies in both states after a Wyoming deputy was injured, sheriff’s officials said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for border on
Cite this Entry
“Border on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/border%20on. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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