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

But here’s the thing: While spring’s nail art trends border on the extreme, they can also be adapted to your personal style, whether that means swapping out classic French tips for a sliver of inky black or completely covering your nails in stars, rhinestones, and charms à la Cynthia Erivo. —Sophia Panych, Allure, 13 Mar. 2025

Tall and thin, bordering on gaunt, he was dressed in blue jeans, a flannel shirt, an old Army jacket, work boots, gloves and a blue wool cap. —Alanna Nash, Variety, 4 Mar. 2025

With only 18 boutique suites sprinkled across the lush property, guests are enveloped in a seclusion that borders on surreal. —Ashlee Marie Preston, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025

This is in part because mobile applications that need more than 15 to 20 Mb/s are rare, while mainstream consumer applications requiring more than 1 Gb/s border on the nonexistent. —IEEE Spectrum, 9 Feb. 2025

Rhymes for border on

• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• chitosan
• cynodon
• denouement
• deuteron
• echelon