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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

Gold lies at the core of the border tensions.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Compromised cameras include license-plate readers and security cameras near strategic sites and places where soldiers gather, including military outposts in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

“It crosses that border, it is a brand-new car,” Carter said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

"Where it gets even more complicated is that there are some goods that go back and forth across the border multiple times," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

No, it wasn’t as famous as Mount Hood, across the border in Oregon.

From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis

Customs and Border Protection and provide his account number at a business-intelligence firm that analyzes the creditworthiness of companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Customs and Border Protection for hundreds of autonomous surveillance towers along the southern border.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The Journal also reported that the ads were paid for with taxpayer dollars that Congress appropriated to Homeland Security for Customs and Border Protection, an agency that regularly runs ads about immigration policies.

From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026

Last week one boat set off from Normandy and spent more than 30 hours at sea, before being intercepted and taken to Dover by Border Force.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

From the Glittering Side, Border Patrol guys roar, “Go back! Go back!”

From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads

"But on the other hand, nature is recognised as one of those issues that does not respect political borders."

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Gold-rich areas such as those in River Nile state lie along porous borders in terrain historically associated with cross-border smuggling routes, with artisanally mined gold potentially feeding into those channels.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Jassy Drakulic, RHS senior plant pathologist, said gardeners could notice a "remarkable variety of mushrooms and toadstools" appearing in lawns, borders and around trees this autumn.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has sealed borders with fences, walls and land mines to prevent citizens from escaping to South Korea.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

It took me a long time before I left the safety of the main house, and I never ventured to the borders of Rose Hill again, not until I came to Miss Preston's years later.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

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

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

Once widespread across northern England and Scotland, habitat loss has caused significant decline in the dark bordered beauty.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Another model that Iran and other Persian Gulf nations are examining is in the Strait of Malacca, which like Hormuz is a global energy chokepoint bordered by more than one country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Models walked down a wide runway set up in Manhattan, bordered by 7th Avenue and Broadway, while its famous billboards broadcast the images.

From Barron's ● May 17, 2026

The three Witchlings looked around for a way to bypass the Shroudeds and still follow the prints, but they were bordered by Oso Mountain on one side and a marsh on the other.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

Earthquakes are rare in Panama and usually occur in western Chiriqui province, bordering Costa Rica.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

At the movies, the PTSD-suffering veteran is a familiar figure, bordering on cliché.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

MCALLEN, Texas — Vanessa Ovalle has a “frontline view” of Texas schools as a single mom and a speech pathologist at a local school in McAllen, a city in the Rio Grande Valley bordering Mexico.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026

Communities across all states bordering Wyoming face darkness, breathing difficulties and roofs collapsing under accumulated ash.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

I spent my lunch period sitting in one of the green fields bordering the school, staring at the simulated scenery while I munched on a protein bar with my visor on.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

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