nearly
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
How often you will meet it
Rank 606 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 31,877 times across 155,139 chapters — 0.015% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 1,000 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
adverb
- (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but also: about, almost, most, near, nigh, virtually the job is (just) about donethe baby was almost asleep when the alarm sounded
- in a close manner also: closely, intimately the two phenomena are intimately connectedthe person most nearly concerned
nearly in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
-
Because of the drawn blinds the room was nearly as dark as the corridor.
The Abandoned Room · Wadsworth Camp · Chapter 1
-
Benches nearly empty; Votes passing in basketsful; prorogue next week; to-day, practically, last working time.
Punch — Volume 99, August 16, 1890 · Various · Chapter 1
-
My mother came to the rescue, and Cynthia has been with us nearly two years now.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles · Agatha Christie · Chapter 1
-
He was nearly twelve years old, and had never until now been separated from her even for a day.
A Knight of the White Cross · G. A. (George Alfred) Henty · Chapter 1
-
He sat with the other new-comers, staring, open-eyed, at nearly six hundred boys, big and small, assembled together in the Speech-room.
The Hill: A Romance of Friendship · Horace Annesley Vachell · Chapter 1