How to Use border on in a Sentence

border on

phrasal verb
  • This combination of influences has led Goebel toward a style that borders on avant-garde.
    Coralie Kraft, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2024
  • Remarkably, the oddball Vespa TAP is now so rare and so sought after, that its auction price borders on the ridiculous.
    Mike Hanlon, New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2024
  • One of the blockades was close to the Dutch border on the E19 highway, media said.
    Fox News, 30 Jan. 2024
  • In a world that borders on sci-fi, Horowitz is a decisive guide.
    Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 26 June 2024
  • Some of the shots, especially toward the end, even border on black and white.
    Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2023
  • The other sedans and the Turbo wagon bordered on being fun, which is not to damn them with faint praise . . .
    William Jeanes, Car and Driver, 27 June 2023
  • This Kravitz is a little funkier, even bordering on the New Wave.
    Devon Ivie, Vulture, 8 May 2024
  • Second, the masking tape Morford used as a border on the panels.
    Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 14 June 2023
  • Poblanos boast a dark green color, bordering on brown or black.
    Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2024
  • The school itself is a large open courtyard bordered on all sides by 12-foot-high concrete walls topped with barbed wire.
    Matt Rivers, ABC News, 31 July 2023
  • That number is way above league average and borders on must-play.
    Jack Magruder, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
  • The facility is bordered on the southwest by Imikpuk Lake, one of the two local potable water sources.
    Alena Naiden, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Sep. 2023
  • The meals were all lightly seasoned, bordering on bland.
    Clarissa Wei, Bon Appétit, 16 Sep. 2024
  • Using a small knife, create a border on each pastry sheet by scoring ½ inch from edges.
    Emily Nabors Hall, Southern Living, 4 Nov. 2023
  • The body of the snake is medium brown, slightly lighter toward the head, with black borders on the individual scales, photos from the study show.
    Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2024
  • The case is being heard by a Texas judge who borders on being an antiabortion activist.
    Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
  • For the show’s New York scenes, her costumes emphasize dark and deep colors, bordering on black.
    Matthew Chernov, Variety, 6 June 2023
  • For Thomas Rhett, pulling for Georgia has bordered on religion.
    Sid Evans, Southern Living, 8 Aug. 2023
  • But there was a problem: The homicide detectives chasing the lead were bordering on mutiny.
    Gus Garcia-Roberts, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2023
  • Geometric shapes resembling a kente form a lengthy border on one side.
    USA Today, 26 June 2023
  • Mia was attending the Nova rave in the desert near the Gaza border on Oct. 7 when Hamas fighters staged their surprise cross-border attack.
    Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Nov. 2023
  • Men in their teens and early 20s who paved the way for the ground invasion of Europe by Allied forces through missions that bordered on the suicidal.
    Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2024
  • Spread filling evenly over one of the prepared piecrust rectangles, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. 4.
    People Staff, Peoplemag, 20 June 2023
  • At 26 years old, Stowers is bordering on no longer being considered a prospect at this point.
    Matt Weyrich, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2024
  • The human body is full of marvels, some even bordering on miraculous.
    Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 10 Sep. 2024
  • Add to that the fact that Clarke’s ideas about cleaning are meticulous, bordering on obsessive.
    Lawrence Specker | Lspecker@al.com, al, 27 July 2023
  • In all the little towns and villages, the sense of adoration for the 200 or so returning World War II veterans bordered on mania.
    Catherine Porter, New York Times, 11 June 2024
  • But in a sea of ugly tri suits, this one is actually bordering on being cute.
    R29 Team, refinery29.com, 2 Sep. 2024
  • The sillage bordered on overwhelming, particularly on humid days when the scent clung to the wet air.
    Lily Stewart, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 May 2024
  • Her dedication to the cause of keeping single-use items out of her life borders on religious.
    Carina Finn, Bon Appétit, 16 Sep. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'border on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: