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Meaning & use

border

noun, verb·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈbɔːdə/
US/ˈbɔːrdər/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    The official line that separates two countries or regions.

    Grammar: Often used with 'the' or 'a': the border between Spain and France, cross the border.

    Patterns

    • the border between A and B
    • cross the border
    • at the border

    The border between the two countries is heavily guarded.

    We crossed the border into Canada early in the morning.

    There was a long line of cars at the border.

  2. nouncountable

    The outer edge of something, especially a surface or area.

    Grammar: Often used in the phrase 'on the border of': a house on the border of the forest.

    Patterns

    • on the border of something
    • the border of something
    • around the border

    She planted flowers along the border of the garden.

    The book has a decorative border on each page.

    The house sits on the border of the national park.

  3. verbtransitive

    To be next to and along the edge of something.

    Grammar: Takes an object: the yard borders a nature reserve. Often used with 'on': the yard borders on the park.

    Patterns

    • border something
    • border on something
    • be bordered by something

    The yard borders a nature reserve.

    Their property borders the river on the north side.

    The garden is bordered by a low stone wall.

Word forms

pluralborders
third person singularborders
past tensebordered
past participlebordered
-ing formbordering

Common combinations

cross the border
You need a passport to cross the border.
border control
Border control stopped us to check our documents.
on the border of
The town is on the border of two states.
border dispute
The two countries are involved in a border dispute.
border collie
A border collie is a very intelligent breed of dog.

Synonyms and how they differ

boundary
More general and often used for lines between properties or ideas; 'border' is more common for countries.
edge
Focuses on the outer limit of a surface; 'border' can also mean the official line between countries.
frontier
Often suggests a remote or less settled border area, especially in historical contexts.

Opposites

centerinterior

Word family

bordered adjective
Having a border or edge: a bordered page.
borderline adjective
Not clearly one thing or another; on the border between two categories.

Commonly confused: border or boarder? border or border?

border vs boarder

A boarder is a person who pays to live in someone's house or at a school; a border is a line or edge.

border vs border

As a verb, 'border' means to be next to; as a noun, it means the line or edge itself.

Practice

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