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

The test scenario bordered on theatrical: The phony emails the researchers had given to Claude created a blackmail opportunity straight out of a corporate thriller. —ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2025

Lately that’s been in the form of platform heels, bordering on stilts. —Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 4 Aug. 2025

The first bombardments of Kyiv and other major cities began in the early morning of Feb. 24, 2022, as Russian troops surged across Ukraine's borders on several axes. —David Brennan, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2025

Its modern aesthetic borders on too plain, though its gleaming aluminum finish exudes a premium feel and impressive strength. —Charles Jefferies, PC Magazine, 28 July 2025

Rhymes for border on

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