nearly

adverb near·ly \ ˈnir-lē \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Examples: nearly in a Sentence

Definition of nearly

1 : in a close manner or relationship

nearly related

2 a : almost but not quite

nearly identical

nearly a year later

b : to the least extent

not nearly as good as we expected

See nearly defined for English-language learners

See nearly defined for kids

Examples of nearly in a Sentence

I see her nearly every day.
We lived there for nearly two years.
Nearly all of us got sick that weekend.

Recent Examples of nearly from the Web

Back in May, the nearly perfect series was capped off by a beautiful and moving finale, which means the show can live on undisturbed in the streaming heaven reserved for shows that didn't crash and burn their landing (*cough* Dexter).

— refinery29.com, "This Is Keri Russell's Time To Shine — Welcome To The Russell-ution, Comrades," 13 July 2018
Straws add up to only about 2,000 tons of the nearly 9 million tons of plastic waste that hits waters a year.

— NBC News, "Starbucks says it will stop offering plastic straws by 2020," 9 July 2018
Straws add up to about 2,000 tons of the nearly 9 million tons of plastic waste that ends up in the water each year.

— CBS News, "Starbucks plans to stop offering plastic straws by 2020," 9 July 2018
Irma, which cut power last September to nearly 2 million homes and businesses in South Florida and nearly 6 million throughout the state, could have cost FPL customers $1.3 billion in storm recovery fees.

— marcia heroux pounds, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Will FPL customers get Hurricane Matthew refund? Commission to vote Tuesday," 9 July 2018
Independence Park is a big attraction, drawing nearly five million people to 45 acres that are the site of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

— frank kummer, Philly.com, "Independence Park's Rose Garden loses its bloom as weeds take over," 6 July 2018
Mikie Mahtook’s throw to third base was wild, nearly allowing Baez to score.

— anthony fenech, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Tigers squander another game vs. Chicago Cubs, lose 5-2," 4 July 2018
Around 1 million barrels per day are exported to Europe, and nearly 2 million go to Asian countries like China, India, South Korea and Japan.

— w.j. hennigan, Time, "President Trump Is Putting Huge Pressure on Europe to Reinstate Sanctions on Iran. He's in for a Tough Sell at the NATO Summit," 3 July 2018
Florida’s hospitality business represents a $112 billion industry, $11 billion in local and state tax revenue, with 116 million visitors in 2017 and nearly 1.4 million employees, making it a powerful driver for Florida’s future.

— miamiherald, "Leigh-Ann Buchanan," 30 June 2018

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