almost

[ awl-mohst, awl-mohst ]
See synonyms for almost on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. very nearly; all but: almost every house; almost the entire symphony; to pay almost nothing for a car; almost twice as many books.

Origin of almost

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English almost, almast, almest, Old English eall(e) mǣst “nearly all”

synonym study For almost

Almost, most, nearly, well-nigh all mean within a small degree of or short space of. Almost implies very little short of: almost exhausted; almost home. Most is colloquial for almost. Nearly implies a slightly greater distance or degree than almost : nearly well; nearly to the city. Well-nigh, a more literary word, implies a barely appreciable distance or extent: well-nigh forgotten; well-nigh home.

usage note For almost

See most.

Words that may be confused with almost

Words Nearby almost

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use almost in a sentence

  • This city stands upon almost two equal parts on each side the river that passes through.

    Gulliver's Travels | Jonathan Swift
  • She was holding the back of her chair with one hand; her loose sleeve had slipped almost to the shoulder of her uplifted arm.

  • Big Reginald took their lives at pool, and pocketed their half-crowns in an easy genial way, which almost made losing a pleasure.

  • A lateen sail was visible in the direction of Cat Island, and others to the south seemed almost motionless in the far distance.

  • almost as soon as she had finished building her nest she had discovered a strange-looking egg there.

    The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for almost

almost

/ (ˈɔːlməʊst) /


adverb
  1. little short of being; very nearly

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012