as in nearly
very close to but not completely
we were almost finished with dinner when an unexpected visitor showed up there were almost enough seats for everybody on the bus
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in relative
being such only when compared to something else
burdened with impossibly high expectations, the movie came to be regarded as an almost failure
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of almost
Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Literally tens of thousands of tips — statistically almost all false and mixed in with a sprinkling of fraud — are coming in.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 19 Feb. 2026
Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 20 Aug. 2025
Despite arguably kicking off the trend of internet shutdowns a decade ago with an almost year-long blackout in the western province of Xinjiang, China is not a frequent offender.
—James Griffiths, CNN, 9 Jan. 2020
See All Example Sentences for almost
Adverb
At first, the job seems almost too good to be true — beautiful house, steady pay, a chance to rebuild her life.
—Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Literally tens of thousands of tips — statistically almost all false and mixed in with a sprinkling of fraud — are coming in.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Orange County has paid more than $39 million worth of settlements in the almost year since the Airport fire broke out and destroyed more than 100 structures, according to county officials.
—Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 20 Aug. 2025
Despite arguably kicking off the trend of internet shutdowns a decade ago with an almost year-long blackout in the western province of Xinjiang, China is not a frequent offender.
—James Griffiths, CNN, 9 Jan. 2020
See All Example Sentences for almost
Recent Examples of Synonyms for almost
Adverb
-
As of Thursday, that system still had nearly 500 outages.—
ALEX ROZIER Mississippi Today,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Guthrie lives on nearly an acre, in a brown-brick, ranch-style house with an attached garage, a short gravel driveway, and desert landscaping.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The case’s top count is attempted murder, but the relative culpability of each defendant is in question by their defense attorneys and could be a focus of the trial, which is expected to take about two and a half weeks.—
Emerson Clarridge
Updated February 17,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 Feb. 2026
-
After that, there’s pressure to deliver relative immediate results such as what recently transpired in Seattle, New England, Chicago and Denver.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Minnie is practically invisible to most of the students at North Little Rock High School, which is what makes her friendship with Callie — the most popular girl in her class — so special.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
-
AirEssentials Half Zip The AirEssentials line was practically made for Southern springs.—
Melanie Fincher,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Ferguson is listed as the sole director of the companies, all of which applied in recent days to be struck off the UK’s official Companies House register, where virtually all businesses must file information such as directors’ details and annual returns.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The rain the county has recorded since October has virtually eliminated the risk of large wildfires, at least for the next few months.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Zurek’s key idea about how this transition occurs, called decoherence, is fairly well established.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Cooligan is a home-school student but his transition to high school competition was fairly seamless.—
Steve Gorches,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Almost.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/almost. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
