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
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 on the Web
Jared Goff needs to have a clean performance to give the Lions the best shot to win, as this is nearly guaranteed to be a high-scoring affair.
—
Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
Data provided by the Illinois State Police shows nearly 1 in 5 CDL holders with English Language Proficiency infractions have licenses issued by the state of Illinois.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 5 Dec. 2025
Their commerce rose more than fivefold from about $13 billion in 2021 to nearly $69 billion in 2024–25, driven almost entirely by Indian energy imports.
—Reuters, NBC news, 5 Dec. 2025
Immigration could affect the budding relationship between the president and the mayor of the nation's largest city, where immigrants are nearly 40% of the population.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nearly
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Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
Data provided by the Illinois State Police shows nearly 1 in 5 CDL holders with English Language Proficiency infractions have licenses issued by the state of Illinois.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 5 Dec. 2025
Their commerce rose more than fivefold from about $13 billion in 2021 to nearly $69 billion in 2024–25, driven almost entirely by Indian energy imports.
—Reuters, NBC news, 5 Dec. 2025
Immigration could affect the budding relationship between the president and the mayor of the nation's largest city, where immigrants are nearly 40% of the population.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nearly
Cite this Entry
“Nearly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nearly. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nearly
adverb
near·ly
ˈni(ə)r-lē 
1
: in a close manner or relationship
nearly related
2
: almost but not quite
nearly the same
nearly missed the train
3
: to the least extent
not nearly enough
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