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
The Niners nearly doubled the overall offensive output of the Bucs.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
Evans led by 2,596 votes as of 10:52 p.m., up nearly 400 votes from a few hours earlier in the evening.
—John Aguilar, The Denver Post, 10 Nov. 2024
Of the 23 projects, our research shows that 13 appear to be on track, with total planned capital investments in excess of $40 billion and nearly 352 gigawatt-hours per year of capacity.
—James Morton Turner, Discover Magazine, 9 Nov. 2024
The drive nearly ended a few plays earlier when Joe Burrow was picked off, but the potential interception was overturned to incomplete on replay.
—NBC News, 8 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nearly 
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Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
Evans led by 2,596 votes as of 10:52 p.m., up nearly 400 votes from a few hours earlier in the evening.
—John Aguilar, The Denver Post, 10 Nov. 2024
Of the 23 projects, our research shows that 13 appear to be on track, with total planned capital investments in excess of $40 billion and nearly 352 gigawatt-hours per year of capacity.
—James Morton Turner, Discover Magazine, 9 Nov. 2024
The drive nearly ended a few plays earlier when Joe Burrow was picked off, but the potential interception was overturned to incomplete on replay.
—NBC News, 8 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nearly
Dictionary Entries Near nearly
Cite this Entry
“Nearly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nearly. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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
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