almost

[awl-mohst, awl-mohst]

SEE MORE 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

before 1000; Middle English; Old English (e)al māst, variant of æl mǣst nearly

Can be confusedalmost most (see usage note at most)

Synonym study

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

See most.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for almost

essentially, around, practically, roughly, approximately, most, much, virtually, about, relatively, well-nigh, nigh, substantially

Examples from the Web for almost

Contemporary Examples of almost

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
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
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
Indeed, as an almost purely advisory firm, Lazard is (appropriately) barely affected by the Dodd-Frank reforms.
Antonio Weiss Is Not Part of the Problem
Steve Rattner
January 7, 2015
Almost everyone there will be a decent person and treat you well.
Abramoff’s Advice for Virginia’s New Jailhouse Guv
Tim Mak, Jackie Kucinich
January 7, 2015

Historical Examples of almost

The request, thus aided by flattery, was almost unanimously granted.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
Almost every Barbarian at the table had made his own fortune.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
They're really one and a half sizes too small, and almost kill me.
Punchinello, Vol. 1. No. 20, August 13, 1870
Various
It was almost impossible to win their confidence, or to get information from them.
Harriet, The Moses of Her People
Sarah H. Bradford
She was almost in; it was only a slight dizziness, yet she could not see the light-house.
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson

British Dictionary definitions for almost

almost

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

Word Origin and History for almost

adv.

Old English eallmæst "nearly all, for the most part," literally "mostly all;" see all + most. Modern form from 15c.