borderland
noun
bor·der·land
ˈbȯr-dər-ˌland 
1
a
: territory at or near a border
b
: fringe sense 3a
lives on the borderland of society
2
: a vague intermediate state or region
the borderland between fantasy and reality
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 on the Web
Myanmar’s military has been embroiled in a multi-front civil war for nearly three years, sustaining attacks from ethnic armed groups in its borderlands as well as from newer, pro-democracy insurgents in the middle of the country who picked up arms after the coup.
—
Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023
Many residents saw the wall as unnecessary and ill-advised, and when President Biden took office and ordered a halt to construction, Ms. Alvarez and others in this rugged, mostly rural South Texas borderland believed the project was over.
—J. David Goodman, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2023
During his visit, a young Israeli officer named Roi Rotberg was seized and murdered by Arab militants while patrolling the borderlands on horseback, his body dragged across the armistice line into Gaza.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2023
This is a horrific step backwards for the borderlands.
—Quinn Owen, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2023
Myanmar’s borderlands have been plagued by civil conflicts since the end of the second world war.
—WIRED, 29 Sep. 2023
This oblong maze of rocky vales straddles the arid Nevada-Oregon borderlands, in one of the least densely populated parts of North America.
—Rahul Rao, Popular Science, 30 Aug. 2023
Militarizing the border has largely been a winning strategy for Texas politicians, one that Mary Mendoza, a historian of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands at Penn State, says plays directly into the long-standing fears Americans have about immigration.
—Cat Cardenas, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023
Revolutionary militias called People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) made up of mostly Burmans, the country’s ethnic majority, are attacking the regime in cities and lowland areas that have never before seen fighting, and bolstering ethnic armed groups in the borderlands.
—Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2023
See More
Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023
Many residents saw the wall as unnecessary and ill-advised, and when President Biden took office and ordered a halt to construction, Ms. Alvarez and others in this rugged, mostly rural South Texas borderland believed the project was over.
—J. David Goodman, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2023
During his visit, a young Israeli officer named Roi Rotberg was seized and murdered by Arab militants while patrolling the borderlands on horseback, his body dragged across the armistice line into Gaza.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2023
This is a horrific step backwards for the borderlands.
—Quinn Owen, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2023
Myanmar’s borderlands have been plagued by civil conflicts since the end of the second world war.
—WIRED, 29 Sep. 2023
This oblong maze of rocky vales straddles the arid Nevada-Oregon borderlands, in one of the least densely populated parts of North America.
—Rahul Rao, Popular Science, 30 Aug. 2023
Militarizing the border has largely been a winning strategy for Texas politicians, one that Mary Mendoza, a historian of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands at Penn State, says plays directly into the long-standing fears Americans have about immigration.
—Cat Cardenas, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023
Revolutionary militias called People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) made up of mostly Burmans, the country’s ethnic majority, are attacking the regime in cities and lowland areas that have never before seen fighting, and bolstering ethnic armed groups in the borderlands.
—Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'borderland.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1811, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Dictionary Entries Near borderland
Cite this Entry
“Borderland.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/borderland. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
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Kids Definition
borderland
noun
bor·der·land
ˈbȯrd-ər-ˌland
1
: territory at or near a border : frontier
2
: an unclear condition or region separating two clearly different ones
the borderland between sleeping and waking
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