almost

[ awl-mohst, awl-mohst ]

See synonyms for almost on Thesaurus.com

adverb

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

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

almost , most

Words Nearby almost

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use almost in a sentence

Have you tried to access the research that your tax dollars finance, almost all of which is kept behind a paywall?
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers | Michael Schulson | July 27, 2016 | THE DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile, almost exactly 30 years after the trial, the judge left his home to board a steamboat and was never heard from again.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion | Nina Strochlic | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
almost all of the network and cable news channels said that they would not be showing the cartoons either.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead | Luke O’Neil | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Editorial and political cartoon pages from throughout the world almost unanimously came to the same conclusion.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead | Luke O’Neil | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
To make it work almost everything else about these shows has to seem factual which is why many look like a weird Celebrity Sims.
‘Empire’ Review: Hip-Hop Musical Chairs with an Insane Soap Opera Twist | Judnick Mayard | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST

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.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate Chopin
Big Reginald took their lives at pool, and pocketed their half-crowns in an easy genial way, which almost made losing a pleasure.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James Wills
A lateen sail was visible in the direction of Cat Island, and others to the south seemed almost motionless in the far distance.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate Chopin
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

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

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