border on
phrasal verb
bordered on; bordering on; borders on
1
: to have a border on (something) : to lie on a boundary of (something)
The area my ancestors come from borders on the Atacama Desert.
2
: to be very like (something) : to come very close to being (something)
The play's dialog borders on the ridiculous.
an enthusiasm bordering on fanaticism
Examples of border on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Breaking down international borders on the ISS For astronauts who shed their Earthly bounds, the borders that divide nations seem to vanish.
—
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
The Pentagon deployed 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern border on Wednesday.
—Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
This jacket already borders on 70s nostalgia, positioning it as one of the hippie movement's favorite outerwear pieces.
—Teresa Romero Martínez, Glamour, 18 Jan. 2025
Others border on amusing, like Dennis Quaid, mid-evacuation, trying to cram a hamper of his teenage daughter’s clothes into his Mercedes.
—Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for border on 
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Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
The Pentagon deployed 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern border on Wednesday.
—Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
This jacket already borders on 70s nostalgia, positioning it as one of the hippie movement's favorite outerwear pieces.
—Teresa Romero Martínez, Glamour, 18 Jan. 2025
Others border on amusing, like Dennis Quaid, mid-evacuation, trying to cram a hamper of his teenage daughter’s clothes into his Mercedes.
—Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for border on
Dictionary Entries Near border on
Cite this Entry
“Border on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/border%20on. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.
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