near
ly
1
to a degree that is close to being complete
- I’ve nearly finished reading that book you lent me.
- She was nearly finished with her homework when the power went out.
- The concert tickets were nearly sold out, with only a few remaining.
- The project was nearly complete, lacking only a final review before submission.
- He’s nearly 30 but still behaves like a teenager sometimes.
2
in a manner that is close
- She nearly missed her train but managed to run just in time to catch it before it departed.
- The project is nearly complete, with just a few final touches left to finish.
- He nearly won the race, finishing just seconds behind the first-place runner.
- We were nearly out of groceries, so we decided to make a quick trip to the store.
- The movie was nearly three hours long, but I enjoyed every minute of it.
Synonyms: