borderland

noun bor·der·land \ ˈbȯr-dər-ˌland \

Updated on: 13 May 2018

Definition of borderland

1 a : territory at or near a border

b : fringe 3a

lives on the borderland of society

2 : a vague intermediate state or region

the borderland between fantasy and reality

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Examples of borderland in a Sentence

in the borderland between sleeping and waking
He describes adolescence as the tumultuous borderlands between childhood and adulthood.

Recent Examples of borderland from the Web

Both of them — and both of us — were in that limbo borderland between life and death, knowing and not knowing.

— janice gary, Longreads, "Bang and Vanish," 18 Apr. 2018
The borderlands between Cameroon and Nigeria have long been places where the lucky and ruthless can become rich, and wealthy people even wealthier.

— scott maceachern, Washington Post, "Locals call Boko Haram 'slave raiders.' Here's what that means, and why it matters.," 20 Feb. 2018
Ducey hasn't said how long the National Guard will remain in Arizona's borderland.

— rafael carranza, azcentral, "National Guard begins its deployment to the Arizona-Mexico border," 13 Apr. 2018
No More Deaths/No Más Muertes, a humanitarian organization dedicated to ending the death and suffering of migrants in the Mexico–US borderlands.

— zipporah osei, BostonGlobe.com, "Wellesley College students turn the political personal in new play," 12 Apr. 2018
For context, Cantú intersperses summaries of writings by Mexican authors and borderland journalists; the effect is lyrical, but unfocussed.

— olivia de recat, The New Yorker, "Briefly Noted," 14 Mar. 2018
Raised in Arizona’s borderlands as the only child of a Mexican-American woman, Cantu thought several years in the agency would provide real-world experience for a diplomatic or legal career after graduation from American University.

— Washington Post, "Memoir by former Border Patrol agent sparks debate," 9 Mar. 2018
Located in that borderland just before the grit of Little Armenia and East Hollywood collide with the upscale baby strollers of Silver Lake and Los Feliz, it’s dominated by a big ol’ Staples.

— rico gagliano, Los Angeles Magazine, "Filipino Food Gems Are Hiding in Plain Sight in This East Hollywood Strip Mall," 14 Mar. 2018
This was the law enforcement equivalent of some uncharted borderland, one that would prove maddeningly impenetrable to a civilian like Hampton.

— alexander nazaryan, Newsweek, "Lie and Deny: Secrecy and Suspicion Surround the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department," 21 Apr. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'borderland.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of borderland

1811

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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borderland Synonyms

Synonyms

border, frontier, march;

Related Words

no-man's-land;

BORDERLAND Defined for English Language Learners

borderland

noun

Definition of borderland for English Language Learners

: the land on either side of a border between countries
: an unclear state or condition that is between two things and is like each of them in some ways

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borderland

Definition of borderland

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BORDERLAND Defined for English Language Learners

borderland

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