Spelling of Border: Border is spelled b-o-r-d-e-r.
Definition of Border: A border is the outer part or edge of something or a specific area; an ornamental design at the edge of something, such as a rug or poster; a boundary dividing different territories.
Border is also a verb meaning to put a border on; to touch at the edge or boundary; to lie on the border; and, to approach the nature of a specified thing.
Pronunciation of Border: Border is pronounced bore-der. Border rhymes with order, disorder, and recorder. The word border is also a homophone to the word boarder.
How to Use Border in a Sentence
What does border mean? Border can function as both a verb and a noun. As a transitive verb, border can mean: to lie on or adjacent to the border/boundary of, or, to put a border on.
For example,
- The country, Canada, borders the United States to the north.
- She chose to border the garden with rows of pansies.
The intransitive verb can mean to lie adjacent to another, or, to be almost like another in character.
For example,
- His personal stories border on the absurd, but they are very entertaining.
- Two grand rivers border the small city.
As a noun, border refers to a part that forms the outer edge; a decorative strip around the edge of something; a strip of ground where ornaments are placed or plants are planted; the line or frontier dividing political territories or geographic regions.
For example,
- She sewed a rather plain quilt with a colorful, intricate border.
- The couple apprehensively crossed the border into Mexico from Texas, USA.
History & Etymology of Border
Border was first used in the 14th century, according to Merriam-Webster’s
Border comes from Middle English bordure, from Old French bordeure, which is of Germanic origin and related to board.
Synonyms for Border
There are several synonyms for border, but the right choice depends on the context and whether the word is used as a noun or verb.
As a noun meaning a line dividing two regions, the following words can be substituted:
- Frontier
- Borderland
- March
- Boundary
For all other meanings of the noun, border, the following words can be substituted:
- Bound
- Edge
- Fringe
- Borderline
- Brim
- Margin
- Rim
As a verb, the following words may be used to replace border:
- Bound
- Edge
- Frame
- Fringe
- Rim
- Skirt
- Margin
Outside Examples of Border
- At the outset she describes the consequences of crossing international borders without the correct documentation: “get arrested, imprisoned, and expelled.” – Dallas Morning News
- Scientists say they have more evidence that an increase in earthquakes on the Colorado-New Mexico border since 2001 has been caused by wells that inject wastewater from oil and gas production back underground, similar to human-caused quakes in Oklahoma and other states. – The Denver Post
Summary
Border can function as a verb and noun.
- The noun form refers to the edge of something or the division line between different territories or geographic regions.
- As a verb, it refers to the act of being near or adjacent to a certain boundary, or to serve as a boundary of/to something.
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