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
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Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025
And Lynch was an avid painter and visual artist, who exhibited his work around the world and spent nearly a decade drawing his own comic strip, The Angriest Dog in the World.
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The original middle school, founded nearly a century ago, became an arts magnet in 2013.
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Since Hideo Nomo in the 1990s, nearly all Japanese baseball stars became NPB greats before coming to MLB.
—Chad Jennings, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
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Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025
And Lynch was an avid painter and visual artist, who exhibited his work around the world and spent nearly a decade drawing his own comic strip, The Angriest Dog in the World.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2025
The original middle school, founded nearly a century ago, became an arts magnet in 2013.
—Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Since Hideo Nomo in the 1990s, nearly all Japanese baseball stars became NPB greats before coming to MLB.
—Chad Jennings, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for nearly
Dictionary Entries Near nearly
Cite this Entry
“Nearly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nearly. Accessed 21 Jan. 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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