1
: in a close manner or relationship
nearly related
2
a
: almost but not quite
nearly identical
nearly a year later
b
: to the least extent
not nearly as good as we expected
Examples of nearly in a Sentence
I see her nearly every day.
We lived there for nearly two years.
Nearly all of us got sick that weekend.
Recent Examples on the Web
Vengathattil, Senior Director of Software Engineering at Clarivate, has nearly two decades of experience in AI, data governance, and healthcare platforms.
—
Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
In other words, nearly 2 million jobs that were ostensibly created under the second half of Biden’s presidency never actually existed.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Looking Down On Earth From Orbit After nearly a year in orbit, Marshburn has gained a perspective few of us can imagine.
—Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Bin Laden, through the al-Qaida terrorist organization, targeted the United States for nearly a decade before the 9/11 attacks in 2001, utilizing this large and expansive infrastructure.
—Richard Frankel, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nearly
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.
Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
In other words, nearly 2 million jobs that were ostensibly created under the second half of Biden’s presidency never actually existed.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Looking Down On Earth From Orbit After nearly a year in orbit, Marshburn has gained a perspective few of us can imagine.
—Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Bin Laden, through the al-Qaida terrorist organization, targeted the United States for nearly a decade before the 9/11 attacks in 2001, utilizing this large and expansive infrastructure.
—Richard Frankel, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nearly
Cite this Entry
“Nearly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nearly. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nearly
adverb
near·ly
ˈni(ə)r-lē 
1
: in a close manner or relationship
nearly related
2
: almost but not quite
nearly the same
nearly missed the train
3
: to the least extent
not nearly enough
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share