1
: an outer part or edge
at the borders of the forest
2
textiles
: an ornamental design at the edge of a fabric or rug
3
: a narrow bed of planted ground along the edge of a lawn or walkway
a border of tulips
4
: boundary
on the border between New York and Canada
crossed the border into Italy
5
: a plain or decorative margin around printed matter
wedding invitations with a delicate gold leaf border
bordered; bordering
ˈbȯr-d(ə-)riŋ 
1
: to put a border on
a rug bordered with a pattern of leaves
bordered the garden with pansies
2
: to touch at the edge or boundary : bound
borders the city on the south
Slovakia borders Poland.
1
: to lie on the border
the U.S. borders on Canada
2
: to approach the nature of a specified thing : verge
borders on the ridiculous
Synonyms
Examples of border in a Sentence
Noun
He grew up in Malaysia, near the Indonesian border.
They live just beyond the western border of the park.
the border of the Sahara
The quilt is quite plain except for its colorful border.
a broad red border on each plate
He planted pansies in the border.
Verb
Their property borders the park.
Tall trees border the avenue.
Two rivers border the city.
Recent Examples on the Web
Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
Trump’s gains among Latino voters included historic wins in places such as Starr County, Texas — a border county that had voted Democratic for 100 years – and in Miami-Dade, Florida, which went red for the first time in more than 30 years.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024
Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Communities in territories crossed or bordered by Line 5, such as the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians in northern Wisconsin, lead efforts to protect the land and water resources that have sustained humans and wildlife across the Great Lakes region for generations.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for border 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The district, which covers areas of East Oakland near the San Leandro and Alameda borders, was vacated last-minute by Councilmember Treva Reid, leading to an unexpectedly open race.
—Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
Trump’s gains among Latino voters included historic wins in places such as Starr County, Texas — a border county that had voted Democratic for 100 years – and in Miami-Dade, Florida, which went red for the first time in more than 30 years.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024
Verb
The factory itself is a vast complex of buildings and loading docks that stretches across land bordered by canals that create a sort of moat around it.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Communities in territories crossed or bordered by Line 5, such as the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians in northern Wisconsin, lead efforts to protect the land and water resources that have sustained humans and wildlife across the Great Lakes region for generations.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for border
Dictionary Entries Near border
Cite this Entry
“Border.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/border. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
border
2 of 2 verb
bordered; bordering
ˈbȯrd-(ə-)riŋ
1
: to put a border on
border the garden with flowers
2
: to be located close or next to
the U.S. borders on Canada
3
: to come very close to being : verge
that remark borders on the ridiculous
Medical Definition
border
noun
bor·der
ˈbȯrd-ər
: an outer part or edge see brush border
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