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
And still, Wankdorf Stadium heaved with Portuguese song, as if any other noise outside of a goal celebration might border on sacrilege.
—
Megan Feringa, New York Times, 4 July 2025
Some situations border on slapstick such as a midnight robbery Blake and Philippe undertake to retrieve a cherished wedding ring Madame Beauvillier was forced to sell for the money.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 3 July 2025
Fiji’s capital, Suva, is bordered on one side by jagged mountains and on the other by a harbor speckled with the hulking wrecks of fishing vessels and cargo ships abandoned by bankrupt companies and neglectful owners.
—Pete McKenzie, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
Some call it a harmless satire, and others assert the image is regressive for women — even bordering on glorifying domestic violence.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for border on
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Megan Feringa, New York Times, 4 July 2025
Some situations border on slapstick such as a midnight robbery Blake and Philippe undertake to retrieve a cherished wedding ring Madame Beauvillier was forced to sell for the money.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 3 July 2025
Fiji’s capital, Suva, is bordered on one side by jagged mountains and on the other by a harbor speckled with the hulking wrecks of fishing vessels and cargo ships abandoned by bankrupt companies and neglectful owners.
—Pete McKenzie, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
Some call it a harmless satire, and others assert the image is regressive for women — even bordering on glorifying domestic violence.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 18 June 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 17 Jul. 2025.
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