nearly
adverb
near·ly
| \ ˈnir-lē
\
\
Definition of nearly
1
: in a close manner or relationship
nearly related
2a
: almost but not quite
nearly identical nearly a year later
b
: to the least extent
not nearly as good as we expected
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Last year, Becerra filed a nearly identical lawsuit against Sutter and asked the court to consolidate the cases. — Catherine Ho, SFChronicle.com, "‘Landmark’ antitrust case against Sutter over health prices nears trial," 24 Aug. 2019 Glossy 8-by-10 photos of grinning infants covered nearly every inch of the classroom’s cinder block walls. — Liv Mcconnell, Teen Vogue, "What Spiritual Adoption of a Fetus in High School Really Taught Me," 23 Aug. 2019 Tiny bits of plastic waste, called microplastic, have come to permeate nearly every part of the planet. — Wired Staff, WIRED, "You’ve Got Microplastics," 23 Aug. 2019 During the busy morning commute, nearly every mirror is occupied. — Laura Dimon, BostonGlobe.com, "New York’s hottest makeup counter: The Port Authority bathroom," 22 Aug. 2019 The celestial emu, which is found in Aboriginal traditions across Australia, shares nearly identical views and traditions with the Tupi people of Brazil and Bolivia, who see it as a celestial rhea, another large flightless bird. — Simon Cropper, Quartz, "Why do different cultures see such similar meanings in the stars?," 21 Aug. 2019 The Duchess of Sussex wears jeans, a loose-fitting oxford shirt and heels in the video, and her smile is bright in nearly every frame. — Carly Mallenbaum, USA TODAY, "Duchess Meghan shares smiley Instagram story at her charity amid 'eco-hypocrite' backlash," 21 Aug. 2019 Starting with Catherine the Great, nearly every czar used the Winter Palace as their main residence. — Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian, "From Nazi Prisons to Cat Sanctuaries, Explore the Many Lives of These Russian Palaces," 19 Aug. 2019 Sadly, since its implementation, the policy has resulted in the elimination of nearly every women’s social organization previously available to female students. — Erin Hawley, National Review, "Harvard’s Ban on Single-Sex Organizations Hurts Women," 19 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nearly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for nearly
nearly
adverb
English Language Learners Definition of nearly
: not completely : almost but not quite
See the full definition for nearly in the English Language Learners Dictionary
nearly
adverb
near·ly
| \ ˈnir-lē
\
\
Kids Definition of nearly
1
: in a close manner or relationship
They're nearly related.
2
: almost but not quite
We're nearly finished.
3
: to the least extent
It's not nearly enough.
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