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
Even though a lot of what happens in the book borders on the ridiculous because of the behavior of narcissistic selfish venal individuals.
—
David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 26 Dec. 2025
Built on a humble base of broth, potatoes and celery, the soup gets its real character from an unapologetic heap of fresh herbs — parsley, dill, maybe a handful of chives — added with a confidence that borders on excess.
—Laura McLively, Mercury News, 25 Dec. 2025
The young girl was last seen on video surveillance with her mother on the Colorado side of the Colorado-Utah border on October 9, 2025, according to Brown.
—Josh Campbell, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
The 96-acre Elfin Acres property is bordered on three sides by the Conservancy’s 910-acre Keithley Preserve and includes nearly two miles of Escondido Creek.
—Stacy Brandt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for border on
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David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 26 Dec. 2025
Built on a humble base of broth, potatoes and celery, the soup gets its real character from an unapologetic heap of fresh herbs — parsley, dill, maybe a handful of chives — added with a confidence that borders on excess.
—Laura McLively, Mercury News, 25 Dec. 2025
The young girl was last seen on video surveillance with her mother on the Colorado side of the Colorado-Utah border on October 9, 2025, according to Brown.
—Josh Campbell, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
The 96-acre Elfin Acres property is bordered on three sides by the Conservancy’s 910-acre Keithley Preserve and includes nearly two miles of Escondido Creek.
—Stacy Brandt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for border on
Cite this Entry
“Border on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/border%20on. Accessed 1 Jan. 2026.
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