1
: an outer part or edge
at the borders of the forest
2
textiles
: an ornamental design at the edge of a fabric or rug
3
: a narrow bed of planted ground along the edge of a lawn or walkway
a border of tulips
4
: boundary
on the border between New York and Canada
crossed the border into Italy
5
: a plain or decorative margin around printed matter
wedding invitations with a delicate gold leaf border
bordered; bordering
ˈbȯr-d(ə-)riŋ 
1
: to put a border on
a rug bordered with a pattern of leaves
bordered the garden with pansies
2
: to touch at the edge or boundary : bound
borders the city on the south
Slovakia borders Poland.
1
: to lie on the border
the U.S. borders on Canada
2
: to approach the nature of a specified thing : verge
borders on the ridiculous
Examples of border in a Sentence
Noun
He grew up in Malaysia, near the Indonesian border.
They live just beyond the western border of the park.
the border of the Sahara
The quilt is quite plain except for its colorful border.
a broad red border on each plate
He planted pansies in the border.
Verb
Their property borders the park.
Tall trees border the avenue.
Two rivers border the city.
Recent Examples on the Web
JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
K-pop’s shining success is proof that cultural diversity and creativity are the greatest human potential — a force with no borders, no limit to growth.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2025
Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
In Sumy, which borders Chernihiv, power is yet to be fully restored in the town of Shostka and surrounding area after strikes two weeks ago.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for border
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Pritam’s Partition writings offer incisive critiques of the barbarity that became life with borders but also contest notions of belonging from a feminist perspective.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
K-pop’s shining success is proof that cultural diversity and creativity are the greatest human potential — a force with no borders, no limit to growth.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
The reserve is on Mao’er Mountain in Guangxi, a region of southeastern China bordering Vietnam.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
In Sumy, which borders Chernihiv, power is yet to be fully restored in the town of Shostka and surrounding area after strikes two weeks ago.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for border
Cite this Entry
“Border.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/border. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
border
2 of 2 verb
bordered; bordering
ˈbȯrd-(ə-)riŋ
1
: to put a border on
border the garden with flowers
2
: to be located close or next to
the U.S. borders on Canada
3
: to come very close to being : verge
that remark borders on the ridiculous
Medical Definition
border
noun
bor·der
ˈbȯrd-ər
: an outer part or edge see brush border
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