almost

American  

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

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.

---

almost British  

/ ˈɔːlməʊst /

adverb

1. little short of being; very nearly

---

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”

Example Sentences

"It may open new therapeutic possibilities beyond the traditional strategies that focus almost exclusively on the brain."

From Science Daily

Viewers immediately saw through the ruse, recognizing that Ring’s web of surveillance could absolutely be used to watch almost everyone, almost everywhere, whether or not they’ve done something illegal.

From Salon

She was speaking a day after the independent remuneration board, which sets salaries for MLAs, proposed an uplift of almost 27% from this April.

From BBC

“In Memoriam,” a work of overwhelming lyrical power, has almost no organization.

From The Wall Street Journal

These refunds could be remarkably easy: With almost all duty payments now made electronically, and with every IEEPA-related import assigned a specific tariff code, U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• about
• approximately
• around
• essentially
• most
• much
• practically
• relatively
• roughly
• virtually