border
noun
the part or edge of a surface or area that forms its outer boundary.
border
American
[bawr-der]
/ ˈbɔr dər /
noun
-
borders
plural
-
the part or edge of a surface or area that forms its outer boundary.
-
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.
-
the district or region that lies along the boundary line of another.
-
the frontier of civilization.
-
the border,
-
the border between the United States and Mexico, especially along the Rio Grande.
-
(in the British Isles) the region along the boundary between England and Scotland.
-
-
an ornamental strip or design around the edge of a printed page, a drawing, etc.
-
an ornamental design or piece of ornamental trimming around the edge of a fabric, rug, garment, article of furniture, etc.
-
Horticulture.
-
a long, narrow bed planted with flowers, shrubs, or trees.
-
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.
-
the plants growing in such a strip.
a border of tulips along the path.
-
-
Theater.
-
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.
-
verb (used with object)
-
borders,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bordered,
past participle, past
-
bordering
present participle
-
to make a border around; adorn with a border.
-
to form a border or boundary to.
-
to lie on the border of; adjoin.
verb (used without object)
-
borders,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bordered,
past participle, past
-
bordering
present participle
-
to form or constitute a border; be next to.
California borders on the Pacific Ocean.
-
to approach closely in character; verge.
The situation borders on tragedy.
border
1
British
/ ˈbɔːdə /
noun
-
a band or margin around or along the edge of something
-
the dividing line or frontier between political or geographic regions
-
-
a region straddling such a boundary
-
( as modifier )
border country
-
-
-
a design or ornamental strip around the edge or rim of something, such as a printed page or dinner plate
-
( as modifier )
a border illustration
-
-
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
verb
-
(tr) to decorate or provide with a border
-
-
to be adjacent (to); lie along the boundary (of)
his land borders on mine
-
to be nearly the same (as); verge (on)
his stupidity borders on madness
-
Border
2
British
/ ˈbɔːdə /
noun
-
(often plural) the area straddling the border between England and Scotland
-
the area straddling the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
-
the region in S South Africa around East London
Border
3
British
/ ˈbɔːdə /
noun
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
bordersimple
-
borderssimple
-
have borderedperfect
-
has borderedperfect
-
am borderingprogressive
-
are borderingprogressive
-
is borderingprogressive
-
have been borderingperfect progressive
-
has been borderingperfect progressive
Past
-
borderedsimple
-
had borderedperfect
-
was borderingprogressive
-
were borderingprogressive
-
had been borderingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing border
"The Civil Rights Movement"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The United States
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Commonly Confused Words, List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Chutzpah-wise, “Oak Street” stands at the border between brazen and cheeky.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The expenditure of £123.6bn is the amount spent by the Scottish, UK and local governments north of the border - as well as a share of spending on shared provision such as defence and debt.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
She urged me to arrive at the airport three or four hours before my return flight and head straight for border control.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
About 20 aid workers were arrested in June near the Iran border in Herat province by Afghanistan's morality police, because their beards were not long enough.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Then more than 1.5 million German troops stormed over the Polish border, sparking the onset of World War II.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
The UK government said more than 260,000 counterfeit toys were intercepted by UK Border Force in the last year alone.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Border agents already have the authority to question a foreigner’s reason for applying for a visa or entering the country.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
Customs and Border Protection and expects to recognize the benefit in the third quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Customs and Border Protection had sent questionnaires to agents associated with Operation at Large Los Angeles, with more than 1,400 returned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
As El Tirindaro hides the inner tube, he spots the Border Patrol.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
"Not only are we protecting our physical borders from unlawful crossings, but we are also preventing immigration fraud schemes that are just another way to skirt the immigration laws of the United States," Blanche said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Wildberries has not yet confirmed the attack, but said that its facilities in the region, which borders Ukraine, have been evacuated.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
U.S. officials allegedly devised the ruse after they became concerned about an Iranian threat to target Trump as he left Turkey, which borders Iran.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
Every few decades since its founding a dark and deadly cycle begins, terrorizing the local community, many of whom are unable to survive beyond the island’s borders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Here, on the borders of death, life follows an amazingly simple course, it is limited to what is most necessary, all else lies buried in gloomy sleep;—in that besides our primitiveness and our survival.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
The cars are connected to charging points by the garages for the flats, which are in traditional red buildings bordered by birch trees and a large golf course.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
The pre-fight feeling was that this occasion bordered on the absurd as a sanctioned world title contest, but Verhoeven went a long way to proving the boxing fraternity wrong.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
While some winning coaches were making their names with toughness that bordered on abuse, he urged Close to see her teams as human beings first, not X’s and O’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
McCardel found that the job required an ability to conceptualize problems in a way that bordered on the philosophical.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 4, 2026
I wanted to jump out of the truck and run, run down the hills dipping into sandy valleys in front of familiar houses bordered with passion fruit and morning glory.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
Teenager Jasmine Bernard, who lives in a neighborhood bordering Boxtown, has been fighting for two years against the gas turbines that power the data center and spew emissions into the air.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Nepal hosts thousands of Tibetan refugees, and swathes of the country's high Himalayan north, bordering Tibet, share its culture, Buddhist religion and language.
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
In Shenzhen, a tech hub bordering Hong Kong, robotics company Elephant Robotics is busy fulfilling international orders, with roughly 70% of its sales coming from overseas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Perhaps that is why they are loved with something bordering on the religious.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The countryside was striking from here, a deep green sweep of playing fields and bordering shrubbery, with the school stadium white and miniature-looking across the river.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
