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

Berliner’s essay has brought new scrutiny of its new CEO, Katherine Maher, and her long history of activist statements that border on parody. —The Editors, National Review, 18 Apr. 2024

Blake is not an emasculated wimp; his confidence is complete, his suavity bordering on the toxic. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024

Its secondary hero is ennobled by a folksy wisdom and probity so unalloyed as to border on the supernatural. —Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024

The term is not easily embraced in the mental health world, where hope and optimism are often embedded into the clinical experience, sometimes because of therapeutic confidence, bordering on hubris, that complicates the clinical picture. —Anand Kumar, STAT, 27 Feb. 2024

That number is way above league average and borders on must-play. —Jack Magruder, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024

Faith in renewing the PA borders on the delusional. —Raja Khalidi, Foreign Affairs, 19 Mar. 2024

From the delicate border on Petra’s woolen shawl (costumes are by David Zinn) to the Rosemaling patterns painted on the white set (by the design collective Dots), the production creates a seductive and convincing world in the realm of the senses. —Naveen Kumar, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024

These are roughly credit-card-size images (3.4 inches x 2.1 inches) and are vertically oriented with a larger border on the short side. —Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 19 Mar. 2024