nearly

adverb

near·​ly ˈnir-lē How to pronounce nearly (audio)
Synonyms of nearlynext
1
: in a close manner or relationship
nearly related
2
a
: almost but not quite
nearly identical
nearly a year later
b
: to the least extent
not nearly as good as we expected

Synonyms of nearly

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Examples of nearly in a Sentence

I see her nearly every day. We lived there for nearly two years. Nearly all of us got sick that weekend.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Toberman, a former real estate developer in the United States and France, stays fit by playing pickleball nearly every day, usually for two hours at a time, along with water and snow skiing. — Nancy Badertscher, AJC.com, 6 Aug. 2026 These winds are strong enough to blow around embers and keep fire crews on their toes, but are nowhere close to the nearly 50 mph gusts that fueled the fires’ initial explosive spread last weekend. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026 The hard drive alone contained nearly 500 gigabytes of files and thousands of explicit videos and images of children, including one roughly nine-minute video of a toddler performing oral sex on a grown man, court documents show. — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026 The seven whales joined Frankie and Bertie Botts, who completed the same nearly 2,000-mile journey from Niagara Falls to San Antonio during the first relocation last month. — Jared Ochacher, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nearly

Word History

First Known Use

1561, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nearly was in 1561

Phrases Containing nearly

Rhymes for nearly

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Browse Nearby Words

near-legged
nearly
nearly gave someone a heart attack
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Cite this Entry

“Nearly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nearly. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

nearly

adverb
near·​ly ˈni(ə)r-lē How to pronounce nearly (audio)
1
: in a close manner or relationship
nearly related
2
: almost but not quite
nearly the same
nearly missed the train
3
: to the least extent
not nearly enough

More from Merriam-Webster on nearly

Nglish: Translation of nearly for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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