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• border
  border

  noun

  the part or edge of a surface or area that forms its outer boundary.
• Border
  Border

  noun

  (often plural) the area straddling the border between England and Scotland

border

American  

[bawr-der] / ˈbɔr dər /

noun

• borders
  plural

1. the part or edge of a surface or area that forms its outer boundary.

   Synonyms:

   verge, periphery, rim

2. the line, limit, or delimiting geographic feature that separates one country, state, province, etc., from another: The largest lake within the borders of Canada is Great Bear Lake.

   You cannot cross the border without a visa.

   The largest lake within the borders of Canada is Great Bear Lake.

3. the district or region that lies along the boundary line of another.

4. the frontier of civilization.

5. the border,

   1. the border between the United States and Mexico, especially along the Rio Grande.

   2. (in the British Isles) the region along the boundary between England and Scotland.

6. brink; verge.

7. an ornamental strip or design around the edge of a printed page, a drawing, etc.

8. an ornamental design or piece of ornamental trimming around the edge of a fabric, rug, garment, article of furniture, etc.

9. Horticulture.

   1. a long, narrow bed planted with flowers, shrubs, or trees.

   2. a strip of ground in which plants are grown, enclosing an area in a garden or running along the edge of a walk or driveway.

   3. the plants growing in such a strip.

      a border of tulips along the path.

10. Theater.

    1. a narrow curtain or strip of painted canvas hung above the stage, masking the flies and lighting units, and forming the top of the stage set.

    2. border light.

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verb (used with object)

• borders,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bordered,
  past participle,  past
• bordering
  present participle

1. to make a border around; adorn with a border.

2. to form a border or boundary to.

3. to lie on the border of; adjoin.

verb (used without object)

• borders,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bordered,
  past participle,  past
• bordering
  present participle

1. to form or constitute a border; be next to.

   California borders on the Pacific Ocean.

2. to approach closely in character; verge.

   The situation borders on tragedy.

border ¹ British  

/ ˈbɔːdə /

noun

1. a band or margin around or along the edge of something

2. the dividing line or frontier between political or geographic regions

3. 1. a region straddling such a boundary

   2. ( as modifier )

      border country

4. 1. a design or ornamental strip around the edge or rim of something, such as a printed page or dinner plate

   2. ( as modifier )

      a border illustration

5. a long narrow strip of ground planted with flowers, shrubs, trees, etc, that skirts a path or wall or surrounds a lawn or other area

   a herbaceous border

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verb

1. (tr) to decorate or provide with a border

2. 1. to be adjacent (to); lie along the boundary (of)

      his land borders on mine

   2. to be nearly the same (as); verge (on)

      his stupidity borders on madness

Border ² British  

/ ˈbɔːdə /

noun

1. (often plural) the area straddling the border between England and Scotland

2. the area straddling the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

3. the region in S South Africa around East London

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Border ³ British  

/ ˈbɔːdə /

noun

1. Allan ( Robert ). born 1955, Australian cricketer; played in 156 test matches (1978–1994), 93 as captain; first Australian batsman to score 10,000 test runs

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Usage

What does border mean? A border is the outer edge of a surface or image that marks its boundary in reference to others, such as a border you draw around a picture. A border is also a line that acts as a boundary between two or more geographic areas, whether it’s small areas, like between neighbors on the same street, or large areas, like between countries. To border often means to create a border, as on a picture. To border can also mean to form a border or to be next to one, as in Maine borders New Hampshire to the west and south and Canada to the north and east. Example: The border around the image is quite interesting, but I don’t think it fits the piece.

Synonym Usage

See edge. See boundary.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bordered
  adjective
• borderless
  adjective
• transborder
  adjective
• unbordered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• borders
  plural

Participles

• bordering
  present
• bordered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• border
  simple
• borders
  simple
• have bordered
  perfect
• has bordered
  perfect
• am bordering
  progressive
• are bordering
  progressive
• is bordering
  progressive
• have been bordering
  perfect progressive
• has been bordering
  perfect progressive

Past

• bordered
  simple
• had bordered
  perfect
• was bordering
  progressive
• were bordering
  progressive
• had been bordering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will border
  simple
• will have bordered
  perfect
• will be bordering
  progressive
• will have been bordering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of border

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English bordure, from Anglo-French, Old French, equivalent to bord(er) “to border” (derivative of bord “ship's side, edge,” from Germanic; see board) + -ure noun suffix; see -ure

Explanation

When you cross a border from one country into another, you'll need to show your identification papers and maybe a visa to the border patrol officials. A border separates one thing from another, most famously countries. Sometimes neighboring countries have border disputes, if they don't think the lines were drawn fairly or if they don't get along. Borders can also be less official. You might want to plant a border of cabbages along your front walk, or you could sew a border of sequins along the edge of your collar. But you'd have to go easy on the sequins, as too many would "border on the garish."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

border Border borders bordered bordering

Tsawwassen First Nation is home to 491 members, according to its website, with half living on Tsawwassen lands and others in nearby areas, including across the border in Bellingham, Washington.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Customs delays and U.S. border difficulties, plus the Iran war and demand related to artificial-intelligence infrastructure build-outs, were all reported to have added strain on already stretched supply chains, S&P Global said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

The Scott River, which flows out of mountain forests into a broad valley near the California-Oregon border, provides vital habitat for salmon that swim upstream from the ocean to spawn in the fall and winter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Work is similarly under way to improve Europe's early warning system with plans under discussion including reinforcing the mandate of the bloc's border agency Frontex to conduct social media monitoring.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

“You could take the road,” the old woman continued, “but the border patrol would ask you for identity papers. Do you have any?”

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Officers called Customs and Border Protection agents for backup.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Customs and Border Protection for hundreds of autonomous surveillance towers along the southern border.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Gil Kerlikowske, who led Customs and Border Protection during the Obama administration, said using U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

So, historically, most of the people here, their grandfather or their great-grandfather crossed the border illegally, undocumented, and they ran away from the Border Patrol and had to figure out life on their own.

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026

As El Tirindaro hides the inner tube, he spots the Border Patrol.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

This year's ozone pollution was driven in part by record-breaking heatwaves and wildfires that seared Europe and North America and sent smoke well beyond their borders.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

The White House said in a statement, “These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026

They are located in central Wales, northern Scotland, the borders area of southern Scotland and northern England.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

The use of AI by governments to monitor people beyond their borders belongs in that conversation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

And immediately beyond Korea's borders, Chinese Communists led by Mao Zedong seized control of the mainland in 1949, following a four-year-long civil war with the nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-shek.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Our campsite bordered the Fefine, a large river that flows even in the dry season.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

The action bordered on farce - even Joe Root attempted a reverse-scoop - yet there was little Duckett could do about a spitter from Sears he fended to first slip.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

Another model that Iran and other Persian Gulf nations are examining is in the Strait of Malacca, which like Hormuz is a global energy chokepoint bordered by more than one country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

But Emerald Bay is gate-guarded, accessible only to residents, and its half-mile stretch of golden sand is bordered by the cliffs of two jutting points, geographically cutting off public access via other beaches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

He had finally gotten the hang of his journal, writing things that bordered on thoughtful—but it was still just a sham.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

At the movies, the PTSD-suffering veteran is a familiar figure, bordering on cliché.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

MCALLEN, Texas — Vanessa Ovalle has a “frontline view” of Texas schools as a single mom and a speech pathologist at a local school in McAllen, a city in the Rio Grande Valley bordering Mexico.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026

Communities across all states bordering Wyoming face darkness, breathing difficulties and roofs collapsing under accumulated ash.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

Boundaries are extremely tricky to maintain with people who are insistent and/or bordering on pushy.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

To meet once a week seemed to him much less regular, entirely too haphazard, bordering on carelessness.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Related Words

• abut
• adjoin
• encircle
• flank
• neighbor
• surround