Nearly is used to indicate that something is not quite the case, or not completely the case.
Goldsworth stared at me in silence for nearly twenty seconds.
Hunter knew nearly all of this already.
Several times Thorne nearly fell.
I nearly had a heart attack when she told me.
The beach was nearly empty.
They nearly always ate outside.
Synonyms: practically, about, almost, near More Synonyms of nearly
2. adverb [ADVERB before verb]
Nearly is used to indicate that something will soon be the case.
It was already nearly eight o'clock.
I was nearly asleep.
The voyage is nearly over.
You're nearly there.
I've nearly finished the words for your song.
Synonyms: almost, about, approaching, roughly More Synonyms of nearly
3.
See not nearly
nearly in British English
(ˈnɪəlɪ)
adverb
1.
not quite; almost; practically
2. not nearly
3.
closely
the person most nearly concerned
nearly in American English
(ˈnɪrli)
adverb
1.
almost; not quite; all but
nearly finished
2. Rare
closely; intimately
to be nearly related
3. Archaic
parsimoniously; stingily
Idioms:
not nearly
Examples of 'nearly' in a sentence
nearly
It is nearly always fatal if consumed in sufficient quantities.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Yet central government is not doing nearly enough.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Wholesale prices have already nearly doubled in the past year due to supply shortages.
The Sun (2016)
Most similar countries spend nearly half as much again and many far more.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But there are not nearly enough in booming areas where new properties are most needed.
The Sun (2016)
Life ahead will be challenging and she will spend nearly all of it alone.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They are more outgoing with people and other animals and are nearly ready for their next big step.
The Sun (2016)
Secrets are nearly always bad news.
The Sun (2016)
When the bolognese is nearly ready, stir through the soy sauce and some seasoning.
The Sun (2016)
The former PM already gets nearly 3million a year from the public purse.
The Sun (2016)
The medical establishment nearly had a heart attack.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
His paintings are almost always nearly square.
Improve Your Landscape Painting
The victims have complained that it is not nearly enough.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
We very nearly got it completely right.
The Sun (2008)
We are nearly ready to see his flat.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The roads then would be nearly empty.
The Sun (2006)
The industry has already nearly doubled since the credit crunch began five years ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It is why sportsmen nearly always react to a great performance by saying how difficult it was.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
They were very nearly ready but still just a little bit on the sour side.
The Sun (2011)
Passengers have posted pictures of nearly empty cabins on social networks.
The Sun (2014)
He nearly had a heart attack himself.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
We spend nearly all our time here and are always trying to make it feel nice and cosy.
The Sun (2015)
Not nearly enough to be meaningful.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Africa is still the least safe continent, accounting for nearly almost half of all fatal accidents.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
They end up spending nearly TWICE as much of their income on filling their cars as the better off.
The Sun (2011)
In other languages
nearly
British English: nearly /ˈnɪəlɪ/ ADVERB
If something is nearly a quantity, it is very close to that quantity but slightly less than it. If something is nearly a certain state, it is very close to that state but has not quite reached it.
He stared at me in silence for nearly twenty seconds.
American English: nearly
Arabic: تَقْرِيباً
Brazilian Portuguese: quase
Chinese: 几乎
Croatian: skoro
Czech: skoro
Danish: næsten
Dutch: bijna
European Spanish: casi
Finnish: melkein
French: presque
German: beinahe
Greek: σχεδόν
Italian: quasi
Japanese: ほとんど
Korean: 거의
Norwegian: nesten
Polish: prawie
European Portuguese: quase
Romanian: aproape
Russian: почти
Latin American Spanish: casi
Swedish: nästan
Thai: เกือบ
Turkish: hemen hemen
Ukrainian: приблизно
Vietnamese: gần như
Chinese translation of 'nearly'
nearly
(ˈnɪəlɪ)
adv
差不多 (chàbuduō)
you're nearly as tall as I am你跟我差不多高了 (nǐ gēn wǒ chàbuduō gáo le)
the film isn't nearly as good as the book电(電)影拍得没(沒)有书(書)好看 (diànyǐng pāi de méiyǒu shū hǎokàn)
it's not nearly big enough根本不够(夠)大 (gēnběn bù gòu dà)
I (very) nearly fell over我差点(點)摔倒了 (wǒ chàdiǎn shuāidǎo le)
nearly always几(幾)乎总(總)是 (jīhū zǒngshì)
she was nearly in tears她差点(點)要哭了 (tā chàdiǎn yào kū le)
All related terms of 'nearly'
nearly always
几(幾)乎总(總)是 jīhū zǒngshì
she was nearly in tears
她差点(點)要哭了 tā chàdiǎn yào kū le
it's not nearly big enough
根本不够(夠)大 gēnběn bù gòu dà
you're nearly as tall as I am
你跟我差不多高了 nǐ gēn wǒ chàbuduō gáo le
the film isn't nearly as good as the book
电(電)影拍得没(沒)有书(書)好看 diànyǐng pāi de méiyǒu shū hǎokàn
I (very) nearly fell over
我差点(點)摔倒了 wǒ chàdiǎn shuāidǎo le
1 (adverb)
Definition
almost
The beach was nearly empty.
Synonyms
practically
He'd known the old man practically all his life.
about
almost
near
The picture was near lifesize.
close to
virtually
After the divorce she was left virtually penniless.
next to
all but
just about
not quite
more or less
These guys were more or less my own age.
pretty well (informal)
bordering on
not far from
as good as
verging on
not far off
well-nigh
Finding a rug that's just the right colour can be well-nigh impossible.
nigh on
pretty nearly (informal)
2 (adverb)
Definition
almost
It was already nearly eight o'clock.
Synonyms
almost
The couple had been dating for almost three years.
about
The rate of inflation is running at about 2.7 per cent.
approaching
roughly
a period of roughly 30 million years
just about
He is just about the best golfer in the world.
approximately
Approximately $150,000 will be spent on improvements.
nigh on
Seealmost
Synonyms of 'nearly'
nearly
Explore 'nearly' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of more or less
Definition
as an estimate
These guys were more or less my own age.
Synonyms
approximately,
about,
nearly,
close to,
roughly,
in the region of
in the sense of near
The picture was near lifesize.
Synonyms
almost,
about,
nearly,
close to,
virtually,
practically,
all but,
just about,
approximately,
as good as,
well-nigh
in the sense of roughly
a period of roughly 30 million years
Synonyms
approximately,
about,
around,
close to,
just about,
more or less,
in the region of,
circa,
in the vicinity of,
not far off,
in the neighbourhood of
in the sense of virtually
Definition
almost or nearly
After the divorce she was left virtually penniless.
Synonyms
practically,
almost,
nearly,
in effect,
in essence,
as good as,
to all intents and purposes,
in all but name,
for all practical purposes,
effectually
in the sense of well-nigh
Definition
almost
Finding a rug that's just the right colour can be well-nigh impossible.