border

[ bawr-der ]

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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)

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

/ 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

verb

1. tr to decorate or provide with a border
2. whenintr, foll by on or upon
   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

/ 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

Border

³

/ ˈbɔːdə /

noun

1. BorderAllan (Robert)1955MAustralianSPORT AND GAMES: cricketer 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

Other Words From

• bor·dered adjective
• bor·der·less adjective
• trans·bor·der adjective
• un·bor·dered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of border¹

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; board ) + -ure noun suffix; -ure

Word History and Origins

Origin of border¹

C14: from Old French bordure , from border to border, from bort side of a ship, of Germanic origin; see board

Synonym Study

See edge. See boundary.

Example Sentences

Border Force is responsible for scanning international mail suspected of containing drugs, firearms, knives, and counterfeit items or goods with unpaid customs fees - but not every package is checked.

From BBC

The Home Office said: "When we receive information like this, it is very important Border Force can investigate potential illegal activity."

From BBC

The dustup comes at a sensitive moment in Mexico, where there is deep concern about President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs, deploy U.S. troops to go after cartels, conduct mass deportations and further militarize the border.

From Los Angeles Times

All of his hiring decisions so far, including Monday’s news that former Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting Director Tom Homan will serve as Trump’s border czar, and then his selection of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem—a proponent of Trump’s mass expulsion—as secretary of Homeland Security, signal that he actually intends to move forward with the insane idea to deport every single one of the at least 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.

From Slate

So they’re assigned a secret organization dubbed The Unknowns, under whose banner they rob banks and run explosives through border checkpoints, eventually pulling off a larger-scale bombing that earns them top status in the organization’s “brothers-in-arms” culture.

From Salon

Related Words

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