border on
phrasal 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
And yes, Travis Hunter’s two-way potential borders on the unbelievable.
—
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 7 Sep. 2025
That reasoning helped anchor the setting for The Paper inside the office of a newspaper with dwindling resources, a beleaguered staff, and a boss whose belief in the institution borders on the romantic.
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Through countless binges and marathons, the NBC sitcom has built up a fan devotion that borders on religious.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 3 Sep. 2025
Having raised his daughter Lilly (Lilly Lindner) within its walls, with the staff functioning as an extended family, Lucius clings to the institution with a faith that borders on delusion.
—Leila Latif, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for border on
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Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 7 Sep. 2025
That reasoning helped anchor the setting for The Paper inside the office of a newspaper with dwindling resources, a beleaguered staff, and a boss whose belief in the institution borders on the romantic.
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Through countless binges and marathons, the NBC sitcom has built up a fan devotion that borders on religious.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 3 Sep. 2025
Having raised his daughter Lilly (Lilly Lindner) within its walls, with the staff functioning as an extended family, Lucius clings to the institution with a faith that borders on delusion.
—Leila Latif, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025
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 9 Sep. 2025.
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