nearly
pronunciation
How to pronounce nearly in British English:
UK [ˈnɪəli]
How to pronounce nearly in American English:
US [ˈnɪrli]
-
- Adverb:
- (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; `near' is sometimes used informally for `nearly' and `most' is sometimes used informally for `almost'
- in a close manner
Word Origin
- nearly (adv.)
- 1530s, "carefully;" sense of "almost, all but" is from 1680s; see near + -ly (2).
Example
- 1. The volunteers cried nearly every day .
- 2. Nearly half of gazans are jobless .
- 3. He spent nearly eight years in jail .
- 4. And there were nearly 200 of them !
- 5. All companies die . All cities are nearly immortal .