Synonyms

almost

American

[awl-mohst, awl-mohst] / ˈɔl moʊst, ɔlˈmoʊst /

adverb

very nearly; all but.

almost every house; almost the entire symphony; to pay almost nothing for a car; almost twice as many books.

almost British

/ ˈɔːlməʊst /

adverb

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

Usage

See most.

Related Words

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."

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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 every day someone seems to have a new idea for a prompt that promises to give you a trading edge and supercharge your portfolio.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Almost 24,000 people signed up for the race, which will pass landmarks including City Hall and Parliament Buildings, before finishing in Ormeau Park.

From BBC • May 3, 2026

Almost a third of its $105 million in total 2025 revenue came from identity software.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

Almost all of them vowed to accelerate home construction in California, pivotal to reducing the state’s high cost of housing.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

Almost all the doors are open, but behind them are curtains pulled to give people privacy.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023