1
: an outer part or edge
at the borders of the forest
2
textiles
: an ornamental design at the edge of a fabric or rug
3
: a narrow bed of planted ground along the edge of a lawn or walkway
a border of tulips
4
: boundary
on the border between New York and Canada
crossed the border into Italy
5
: a plain or decorative margin around printed matter
wedding invitations with a delicate gold leaf border
bordered; bordering
ˈbȯr-d(ə-)riŋ 
1
: to put a border on
a rug bordered with a pattern of leaves
bordered the garden with pansies
2
: to touch at the edge or boundary : bound
borders the city on the south
Slovakia borders Poland.
1
: to lie on the border
the U.S. borders on Canada
2
: to approach the nature of a specified thing : verge
borders on the ridiculous
Synonyms
Examples of border in a Sentence
Noun
He grew up in Malaysia, near the Indonesian border.
They live just beyond the western border of the park.
the border of the Sahara
The quilt is quite plain except for its colorful border.
a broad red border on each plate
He planted pansies in the border.
Verb
Their property borders the park.
Tall trees border the avenue.
Two rivers border the city.
Recent Examples on the Web
Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 20 Apr. 2024
Since Hamas militants stormed into Israeli border communities, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, Israel’s retaliatory air and ground offensive has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza and displaced more than 80% of the population of 2.3 million.
—Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2024
Bailey has joined lawsuits related to issues at the southern border and testified in favor of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the federal government’s handling of immigration.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 19 Apr. 2024
The bloc has already put in place a carbon border tax that is expected to hit China, which has looser environmental regulations.
—Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The Senate dismissed all impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday, ending the House Republican push to remove the Cabinet secretary from office over his handling of the the U.S.-Mexico border and shutting down his trial before arguments even began.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 18 Apr. 2024
That was when Hamas breached Israel’s southern border to attack, abduct, and kill more than a thousand people, and Israel responded with an invasion that has left tens of thousands of Gaza Palestinians dead and hundreds of thousands homeless and hungry.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr. 2024
Cargo trains wind through the tall mountains, as does a multimillion-dollar wall along the international border, erected from private funds raised by an organization chaired by former Trump White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon.
—Silvia Foster-Frau, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Follow Election 2024 Officials say there also is a lack of clarity about how quickly Israel may follow through on its promise, announced Thursday under pressure from the Biden administration, to open an Israeli port and an additional border crossing to northern Gaza so more aid can get in.
—Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Illinois is the only state bordering Missouri that has legalized recreational marijuana.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Several welcome boaters and kayakers: Earth Day Cleanup, 10 a.m.-noon, April 21, Rouge Park and Rouge River area on Joy Road in west Detroit (bordering Redford Twp.).
—Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 11 Apr. 2024
The area features multimillion dollar homes in a heavily wooded area bordering the Willamette River.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 10 Apr. 2024
Slovakia, which borders Ukraine but not Russia, is a member of the European Union and NATO.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Across much of the Plains, over 10 million people were under red flag warnings, spanning nearly border to border.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
Illinois, Florida, California saw largest increase in abortions in first 15 months after overturn of Roe v. Wade
The data estimates that states bordering bans had an uptick in abortions due to women traveling across state lines to access care.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2024
Fourteen states, including Texas, Missouri, and Indiana, have banned almost all abortions; Guttmacher found that in states that bordered those fourteen the number of abortions in the formal medical system had increased by thirty-seven per cent since 2020.
—Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2024
Noun
The handwoven jute rug, which has a white and tan geometric border, adds texture and warmth to any space.
—Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 20 Apr. 2024
Since Hamas militants stormed into Israeli border communities, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, Israel’s retaliatory air and ground offensive has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza and displaced more than 80% of the population of 2.3 million.
—Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2024
Bailey has joined lawsuits related to issues at the southern border and testified in favor of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the federal government’s handling of immigration.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 19 Apr. 2024
The bloc has already put in place a carbon border tax that is expected to hit China, which has looser environmental regulations.
—Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The Senate dismissed all impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday, ending the House Republican push to remove the Cabinet secretary from office over his handling of the the U.S.-Mexico border and shutting down his trial before arguments even began.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 18 Apr. 2024
That was when Hamas breached Israel’s southern border to attack, abduct, and kill more than a thousand people, and Israel responded with an invasion that has left tens of thousands of Gaza Palestinians dead and hundreds of thousands homeless and hungry.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr. 2024
Cargo trains wind through the tall mountains, as does a multimillion-dollar wall along the international border, erected from private funds raised by an organization chaired by former Trump White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon.
—Silvia Foster-Frau, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Follow Election 2024 Officials say there also is a lack of clarity about how quickly Israel may follow through on its promise, announced Thursday under pressure from the Biden administration, to open an Israeli port and an additional border crossing to northern Gaza so more aid can get in.
—Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Verb
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, the Pakistani region bordering Afghanistan, appears to be the hardest hit.
—Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Illinois is the only state bordering Missouri that has legalized recreational marijuana.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Several welcome boaters and kayakers: Earth Day Cleanup, 10 a.m.-noon, April 21, Rouge Park and Rouge River area on Joy Road in west Detroit (bordering Redford Twp.).
—Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 11 Apr. 2024
The area features multimillion dollar homes in a heavily wooded area bordering the Willamette River.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 10 Apr. 2024
Slovakia, which borders Ukraine but not Russia, is a member of the European Union and NATO.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Across much of the Plains, over 10 million people were under red flag warnings, spanning nearly border to border.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
Illinois, Florida, California saw largest increase in abortions in first 15 months after overturn of Roe v. Wade
The data estimates that states bordering bans had an uptick in abortions due to women traveling across state lines to access care.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2024
Fourteen states, including Texas, Missouri, and Indiana, have banned almost all abortions; Guttmacher found that in states that bordered those fourteen the number of abortions in the formal medical system had increased by thirty-seven per cent since 2020.
—Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'border.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near border
Cite this Entry
“Border.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/border. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
border
2 of 2 verb
bordered; bordering
ˈbȯrd-(ə-)riŋ
1
: to put a border on
border the garden with flowers
2
: to be located close or next to
the U.S. borders on Canada
3
: to come very close to being : verge
that remark borders on the ridiculous
Medical Definition
border
noun
bor·der
ˈbȯrd-ər
: an outer part or edge see brush border
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