almost
Americanadverb
adverb
Usage
See most.
Synonym Usage
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.
Etymology
Origin of almost
First recorded before 1000; Middle English almost, almast, almest, Old English eall(e) mǣst “nearly all”
Explanation
Almost means "nearly," "roughly," or "not quite." If you're almost as tall as your brother, it means he's still just a bit taller than you are. If you almost got a great job, you came close but weren't ultimately successful, and if you're almost qualified to get your pilot's license, nobody's going to let you fly a plane quite yet. The adverb almost is perfect for describing things you come close to doing, or states you haven't yet reached. It has an Old English root, eallmæst, "nearly all," or literally, "mostly all."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Almost immediately, alerts sounded on Karapataki’s phone, warning of possible attacks.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
Almost 1.2 million undocumented migrants have sought legal status in Spain under a scheme that has defied a growing European crackdown on irregular immigration, according to final figures released on Thursday.
From Barron's • Jul. 2, 2026
Almost overnight, a player from a country with the world’s 13th-largest population of about 113 million but with almost no professional tennis tradition is carrying one of the globe’s biggest diasporas from tournament to tournament.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026
Almost all of the investment newsletters whose returns are audited by my performance-auditing firm are betting that value stocks will continue outperforming growth stocks in coming months.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 29, 2026
Almost too good, since we’re bumping into each other in the art room.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
