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

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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.
That was nearly double from last year’s 13 nominations for the show. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 8 July 2026 In a single event, the ridge accommodated nearly 40 years’ worth of plate motion. — Sam MacDonald, Scientific American, 8 July 2026 By Space Capital's count, private investors have put more than $128 billion into the core since 2009, nearly $26 billion of it in the past year alone. — Charlotte Kiang, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026 His predecessor, Joe Biden, made a surprise visit to the country in 2023 as president, nearly a year after the conflict with Russia began. — Jamie Gray, NBC news, 9 July 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

See All Rhymes for nearly

Browse Nearby Words

near-legged
nearly
nearly gave someone a heart attack
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nearly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nearly. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

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
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All