border

1 of 2

noun

bor·​der ˈbȯr-dər How to pronounce border (audio)
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 adjective

border

2 of 2

verb

bordered; bordering ˈbȯr-d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce border (audio)

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 noun

Examples of border in a Sentence

Noun 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
How does Israel view the maritime shipments? Israel, which controls Gaza’s airspace, land and maritime borders and inspects all shipments to the territory, has welcomed the maritime project and urged other countries to join the initiative. Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024 Trucks already packed sit idle on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing but trickle through at a fraction of prewar levels. Sammy Westfall, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 What's drawing visitors to this sleepy town just over the Mexican border? Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2024 They were located on the edges of the state, near the Arizona, Nevada and Oregon borders. Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Some of her assignments have included the thorny tasks of solving Central American migration along the southern border and ensuring voting rights amid a barrage of new state election laws. Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024 Indeed, homicides in America surged in 2020 — a year in which Trump was still president and apprehensions at the southern border were way down. Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 Fitzpatrick has introduced a smaller bipartisan foreign aid bill that includes border security measures, but his discharge petition is not yet open for signatures. Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024 The new tax is known as a carbon border adjustment mechanism, or CBAM. Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024
Verb
Such shipments can be transported through the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden all the way to Yemen, or take routes over land through bordering countries such as Oman. Missy Ryan, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 In many of the largest metro areas in the country, neighborhoods on opposite ends of the opportunity spectrum could be a mile away from each other − or even border one another. Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024 Lyon Hoag is known for its wider streets and is bordered by Peninsula Avenue to the south, Carolan Avenue to the west, Burlingame Avenue to the north, and Highway 101 to the east. Monica Lander, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 In the Bay of Bengal, which borders several countries in South and Southeast Asia, El Niño often leads to marine heatwaves that can bleach and kill coral reefs that nearby communities rely on for their livelihoods and that provide a buffer against tropical storms. Justine Calma, The Verge, 29 Feb. 2024 Official sources say Midtown is bordered by North Avenue to the north, 20th Street to the east and Highland Avenue to the south. Journal Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2024 Waterfront Park The Waterfront Park, both a public park and nonprofit organization in the city, borders the Ohio River and welcomes over 2.2 million visitors annually. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 The necklace designed as a zipper, is composed of herringbone links bordered by diamond and gold heart motifs. Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Vintage wallpaper with floral designs still hangs on some of the walls bordering five-foot tall windows that catch the morning sun. Hollace Ava Weiner, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of border was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near border

Cite this Entry

“Border.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/border. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

border

1 of 2 noun
bor·​der ˈbȯrd-ər How to pronounce border (audio)
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 adjective

border

2 of 2 verb
bordered; bordering ˈbȯrd-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce border (audio)
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 noun

Medical Definition

border

noun
bor·​der ˈbȯrd-ər How to pronounce border (audio)
: an outer part or edge see brush border

More from Merriam-Webster on border

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