border
noun
the part or edge of a surface or area that forms its outer boundary.
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border
American
[bawr-der]
/ ˈbɔr dər /
noun
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borders
plural
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the part or edge of a surface or area that forms its outer boundary.
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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.
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the district or region that lies along the boundary line of another.
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the frontier of civilization.
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the border,
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the border between the United States and Mexico, especially along the Rio Grande.
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(in the British Isles) the region along the boundary between England and Scotland.
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an ornamental strip or design around the edge of a printed page, a drawing, etc.
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an ornamental design or piece of ornamental trimming around the edge of a fabric, rug, garment, article of furniture, etc.
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Horticulture.
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a long, narrow bed planted with flowers, shrubs, or trees.
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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.
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the plants growing in such a strip.
a border of tulips along the path.
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Theater.
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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.
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verb (used with object)
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borders,
present (3rd person singular)
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bordered,
past participle, past
-
bordering
present participle
-
to make a border around; adorn with a border.
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to form a border or boundary to.
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to lie on the border of; adjoin.
verb (used without object)
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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.
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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
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the dividing line or frontier between political or geographic regions
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a region straddling such a boundary
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( as modifier )
border country
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-
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a design or ornamental strip around the edge or rim of something, such as a printed page or dinner plate
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( as modifier )
a border illustration
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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
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(tr) to decorate or provide with a border
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to be adjacent (to); lie along the boundary (of)
his land borders on mine
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to be nearly the same (as); verge (on)
his stupidity borders on madness
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Border
2
British
/ ˈbɔːdə /
noun
-
(often plural) the area straddling the border between England and Scotland
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the area straddling the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
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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
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borderssimple
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have borderedperfect
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has borderedperfect
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am borderingprogressive
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are borderingprogressive
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is borderingprogressive
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have been borderingperfect progressive
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has been borderingperfect progressive
Past
-
borderedsimple
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had borderedperfect
-
was borderingprogressive
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were borderingprogressive
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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"
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The United States
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Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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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:
In March, the military reported that a border police officer was injured and a security vehicle was damaged during an attack by a group of Israelis in the West Bank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
She built a house in the nearby dusty, bustling town of Musina near the Zimbabwean border, confident that diamonds would provide a brighter future for her two children.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
Last year, Paxton reported the Oklahoma lodge, just north of the Texas border, as worth between $100,001 and $250,000.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
In the deadly flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border – which scientists are still studying the exact cause of – at least 1,200 people have died and thousands more are missing.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Soviet radar picked up the American planes the moment they neared the border.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Border police, tourists and construction workers are among those unaccounted for on both sides of the border, the posts show.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
Customs and Border Protection, is a fast pass back into the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Charlie Eastaugh, director of maritime and small boats at the Border Security Command, told the BBC that "last Thursday alone, the French prevented all three of the boats that tried to cross".
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
“CBP is pausing all construction activity in Big Bend National Park while I visit and conduct a personal, on-the-ground evaluation,” Rodney Scott, head of Customs and Border Protection, posted on X Monday.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
Border Patrol agents pay attention to Blazers, other SUVs, and vans.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
The two share a similar cultural background, one forged by migration, changing borders and centuries of history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Ceuta and Spain's other north African enclave, Melilla, have the European Union's only land borders with Africa, and their status has historically poisoned relations between Madrid and Rabat.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Google, followed by Apple, renamed the Great Lake, which borders New York state and Canada’s Ontario province, for U.S. users.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Complicating security concerns was Israel’s decision in December to recognize the independence of Somaliland, a region within the northwest of Somalia’s acknowledged borders that declared itself a separate country in 1991.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
“See how one side’s flat? That’s where it borders with the DR.”
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
Our campsite bordered the Fefine, a large river that flows even in the dry season.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
The place: Opened in November 2025, One&Only’s first U.S. resort occupies 240 acres, bordered by more than 17,000 acres of permanently protected land.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 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
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
He had good reason to be frustrated, too; some of the questions he faced bordered on the ridiculous.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
It’s going to raise costs particularly in states that are either bordering or in close proximity to Canada and rely on trade with it.
From Slate ● Aug. 29, 2026
Critics say the measures have further strengthened Tokayev's power in Kazakhstan, a vast Central Asian country bordering Russia and China.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
The 12,700-square-foot mansion in Fair Oaks — an unincorporated community in Sacramento County bordering the American River — has been listed for $7.5 million.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Such problems led to agreements among the perpetually warring European countries bordering the Rhine to cooperate in fixing them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
I brushed the dripping heads of the azaleas as I passed, so close they grew together, bordering the path.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
