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
The newspaper filed records requests with all 325 school districts in the state and found that nearly 3,400 books were removed because of the ban before a federal injunction halted enforcement in December 2023.
—
Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 25 Sep. 2024
For its first nearly two decades, Hezbollah fought to push the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from southern Lebanon by attacking Israeli military targets and civilians.
—Jacob Knutson, Axios, 24 Sep. 2024
For instance, the Norwegian fund's investment is spread over nearly 10,000 companies in almost 80 countries, but U.K. chancellor Rachel Reeves' vehicle is going to focus only on one risky asset class - 'industries for the future'.
—Gaurav Sharma, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
The Education Department did not communicate with students Not only did calls for help go unanswered, investigators say the department took nearly two months after the FAFSA’s launch to communicate directly with students.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 24 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nearly 
Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 25 Sep. 2024
For its first nearly two decades, Hezbollah fought to push the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from southern Lebanon by attacking Israeli military targets and civilians.
—Jacob Knutson, Axios, 24 Sep. 2024
For instance, the Norwegian fund's investment is spread over nearly 10,000 companies in almost 80 countries, but U.K. chancellor Rachel Reeves' vehicle is going to focus only on one risky asset class - 'industries for the future'.
—Gaurav Sharma, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
The Education Department did not communicate with students Not only did calls for help go unanswered, investigators say the department took nearly two months after the FAFSA’s launch to communicate directly with students.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 24 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nearly
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nearly.' 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 nearly
Cite this Entry
“Nearly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nearly. Accessed 29 Sep. 2024.
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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