nowhere near

idiom

1
: not at all near to
We were nowhere near a hospital.
2
informal : not at all : not nearly
Their house is nowhere near as nice as yours.
That is nowhere near enough water.
The house is nowhere near finished.

Examples of nowhere near in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Mavericks, who are ninth in points allowed per 100 possessions, defend at a high level but are nowhere near the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Detroit Pistons, the NBA’s first- and second-ranked defenses, respectively. The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026 Not shabby, but nowhere near the number reported for the Peltz family. Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 28 Jan. 2026 But the final bill was nowhere near that number. Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 28 Jan. 2026 For Zipper, there is nowhere near enough reliable data to support the narrative that self-driving cars will be safer than those driven by humans. Laurie Winkless, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nowhere near

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Cite this Entry

“Nowhere near.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nowhere%20near. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

nowhere near

adverb
: not nearly
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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