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.

Whereas florals frolic within large-scale clovers on platters, pitchers, and cake plates, the motif appears as a more refined border on cups and saucers. —

Mel Studach, Architectural Digest, 21 Jan. 2025 The second season continued this confusion with a time-travel story often bordering on incoherence. —

Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 16 Jan. 2025 And waiting any longer to dump Alexander would border on management malfeasance In the last four seasons, Alexander has missed 34 of a potential 68 games. —

Rob Reischel, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025 The preconditions, though, were drastically more unusual, bordering on unprecedented—specifically how dry conditions have been. —

Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for border on