border on

phrasal verb

bordered on; bordering on; borders on

: to have a border on (something) : to lie on a boundary of (something)

The area my ancestors come from borders on the Atacama Desert.

: 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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Dropping in on someone with no warning is inconsiderate, bordering on rude. —

Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024 Eddie and Venom’s relationship is goofy bordering on insane, and the limitations do indeed start to show in The Last Dance. —

James Grebey, TIME, 25 Oct. 2024 The wrap-up, on the other hand, is unconvincing and weak, an act of narrative laziness that—ironically, given Catherine’s history—borders on deceit. —

Tom Gliatto, People.com, 12 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 See all Example Sentences for border on