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; bordering
ˈbȯr-d(ə-)riŋ 
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.
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
Synonyms
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Peter Baker, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Sep. 2023
Kim began his visit with a stop in Russia’s border town of Khasan, where he was presented with a photo of Yuri Gagarin, the cosmonaut who was the first human to orbit the Earth.
—Reuters, NBC News, 18 Sep. 2023
As part of a bipartisan deal, Democrats are pressing McCarthy to pass a stopgap measure that keeps the government funded while also fulfilling requests from President Joe Biden to fund natural disaster relief, secure the southern border, and continue military assistance to Ukraine.
—Cami Mondeaux, Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2023
Although the title can be interpreted different ways, Penn has embraced that his superpower is his celebrity, which enables him to help call attention to stories – especially those transpiring beyond US borders – that might struggle otherwise.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 18 Sep. 2023
The Dominican Republic has shut all land, air, and sea borders with Haiti in a dispute about construction of a canal on Haitian soil that taps into a shared river.
—Martín Adames Alcántara and Dánica Coto, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Sep. 2023
After mutinous soldiers seized power in Niger, West African countries froze financial transactions, closed their borders with Niger and cut off most of its electricity supply in an effort to pressure the generals into restoring constitutional order.
—Elian Peltier, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
Luis Chaparro is a freelance journalist based at the US-Mexico border covering criminal organizations in Latin America.
—Luis Chaparro, Fox News, 17 Sep. 2023
Flights were canceled and border towns usually teeming with vendors and Haitians crossing daily to work in the Dominican Republic were subdued.
—MartÍn Adames AlcÁntara and DÁnica Coto The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2023
Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 6 Sep. 2023
Soon, plans for redevelopment at the site could bring one five-story multifamily building and three seven-story multifamily buildings to the fields south of the mill bordered by Anderson and Burrus streets.
—Haeven Gibbons, Dallas News, 5 Sep. 2023
The work will involve removal of invasive species, planting native species and trees and cleaning up along the Santa Ana River, which borders the northwestern edge of the park.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2023
These include locales from New England and the Atlantic Corridor down to Florida, the Gulf Coast, and southern Texas, as well as Alaska – all regions bordered by the ocean.
—Cheryl V. Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 30 Aug. 2023
Since then, the city has continued to sever ties to the racist past by removing a Confederate soldier statue atop a memorial in a park bordering City Hall.
—Bobby Caina Calvan, Anchorage Daily News, 28 Aug. 2023
Also at issue was the placement of 20 concrete planters that bordered the building along Fifth Avenue and East 56th Street.
—Sam Roberts, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2023
But make no mistake – there’s no love lost between these one-time ACC rivals from bordering states.
—USA TODAY, 27 Aug. 2023
With the Columbia River bordering the city to the north and Mount Hood, a stratovolcano in the Cascades, to the south, the small city is a playground for people who like to be active outside year-round.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2023
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Noun
Critics of further aid maintain that the war is not central to America’s national interest and the money would be better spent at home on border security or other priorities.
—Peter Baker, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Sep. 2023
Kim began his visit with a stop in Russia’s border town of Khasan, where he was presented with a photo of Yuri Gagarin, the cosmonaut who was the first human to orbit the Earth.
—Reuters, NBC News, 18 Sep. 2023
As part of a bipartisan deal, Democrats are pressing McCarthy to pass a stopgap measure that keeps the government funded while also fulfilling requests from President Joe Biden to fund natural disaster relief, secure the southern border, and continue military assistance to Ukraine.
—Cami Mondeaux, Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2023
Although the title can be interpreted different ways, Penn has embraced that his superpower is his celebrity, which enables him to help call attention to stories – especially those transpiring beyond US borders – that might struggle otherwise.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 18 Sep. 2023
The Dominican Republic has shut all land, air, and sea borders with Haiti in a dispute about construction of a canal on Haitian soil that taps into a shared river.
—Martín Adames Alcántara and Dánica Coto, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Sep. 2023
After mutinous soldiers seized power in Niger, West African countries froze financial transactions, closed their borders with Niger and cut off most of its electricity supply in an effort to pressure the generals into restoring constitutional order.
—Elian Peltier, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
Luis Chaparro is a freelance journalist based at the US-Mexico border covering criminal organizations in Latin America.
—Luis Chaparro, Fox News, 17 Sep. 2023
Flights were canceled and border towns usually teeming with vendors and Haitians crossing daily to work in the Dominican Republic were subdued.
—MartÍn Adames AlcÁntara and DÁnica Coto The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2023
Verb
The San Carlos Apache Tribal Forest Protection Act project, authorized by Congress in 2004 allows the 15,000-member tribe to create restoration partnerships with the Forest Service to protect areas both on tribal lands and bordering the Apache-Sitgreaves, Tonto and Coronado national forests.
—Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 6 Sep. 2023
Soon, plans for redevelopment at the site could bring one five-story multifamily building and three seven-story multifamily buildings to the fields south of the mill bordered by Anderson and Burrus streets.
—Haeven Gibbons, Dallas News, 5 Sep. 2023
The work will involve removal of invasive species, planting native species and trees and cleaning up along the Santa Ana River, which borders the northwestern edge of the park.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2023
These include locales from New England and the Atlantic Corridor down to Florida, the Gulf Coast, and southern Texas, as well as Alaska – all regions bordered by the ocean.
—Cheryl V. Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 30 Aug. 2023
Since then, the city has continued to sever ties to the racist past by removing a Confederate soldier statue atop a memorial in a park bordering City Hall.
—Bobby Caina Calvan, Anchorage Daily News, 28 Aug. 2023
Also at issue was the placement of 20 concrete planters that bordered the building along Fifth Avenue and East 56th Street.
—Sam Roberts, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2023
But make no mistake – there’s no love lost between these one-time ACC rivals from bordering states.
—USA TODAY, 27 Aug. 2023
With the Columbia River bordering the city to the north and Mount Hood, a stratovolcano in the Cascades, to the south, the small city is a playground for people who like to be active outside year-round.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2023
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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
Phrases Containing border
Dictionary Entries Near border
Cite this Entry
“Border.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/border. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
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
Medical Definition
border
noun
bor·der
ˈbȯrd-ər
: an outer part or edge see brush border
More from Merriam-Webster on border
Nglish: Translation of border for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of border for Arabic Speakers
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