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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

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

In a statement on Wednesday, it called for North Korea to apologise for the blast and put an immediate stop to such fortification activities along the border.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

But four bodies have been recovered and 12 people remain missing after an avalanche near the base of Himlung Peak, close to the border with Tibet.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

In recent years, Pyongyang has beefed up its border fortifications, laying new land mines, constructing new walls and building antitank barriers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

There at another desk I was handed a railway pass entitling me to transportation through Germany to the Dutch border.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Border taxes and higher gas prices haven’t helped.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 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

Previously, passengers were able to use other forms of ID, such as driving licences and national identity cards - but the changes are being brought in to comply with UK Border Force rules.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 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

Many, like Dona Maria, “la curandera,” were caught, herded, and hauled away in the Border Patrol vehicles.

From "The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child" by Francisco Jiménez

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

“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,” the White House said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 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

Anything the light touched belonged to the sun gods and the sun gods never allowed any evil to pass through Bali’s borders.

From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly

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

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

The proposal would create new traffic patterns for ships transiting the strait, which is bordered by Iran on the northern shore and Oman on the southern.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 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

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

It was her favorite one, pale yellow bordered with the cornflowers after which she was named.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

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

Ceuta is a Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast, bordering Morocco and separated from mainland Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Videos shared by Nepal police and others on social media showed torrents of muddy water crashing through mountain valleys in the Himalayan district bordering China.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Directly in front of them, bordering the pavement, there was a brick wall with fearsome-looking spikes all along the top of it.

From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl

Related Words

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