Definition of almost adverb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

almost

adverb

OPAL S

/ˈɔːlməʊst/

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not quite synonym nearly
- I like almost all of them.
- They'll eat almost anything.
- Almost no one (= hardly anyone) believed him.
- The castle is almost entirely surrounded by water.
- It's a mistake they almost always make.
- The painting is almost certainly a forgery.
- Her handwriting is almost impossible to read.
- The team faces almost certain defeat in today's match.
- The workforce has almost doubled in the past ten years.
- I almost forgot your birthday.
- Housing has become almost as big a problem as education.
- The story seems almost too strange to be true.
Which Word? almost / nearly / practically
almost / nearly / practicallyThese three words have similar meanings and are used frequently with the following words:
almost ~ nearly ~ practically ~
certainly (numbers) all
all all every
every always no
entirely every nothing
impossible finished impossible
empty died anything
- They are used in positive sentences:
  She almost/nearly/practically missed her train.
  They can be used before words like all, every and everybody:
  Nearly all the students have bikes.
  I’ve got practically every CD they’ve made.
  Practically is used more in spoken than in written English. Nearly is the most common with numbers:
  There were nearly 200 people at the meeting.
  They can also be used in negative sentences but it is more common to make a positive sentence with only just:
  We only just got there in time.
  (or:
  We almost/nearly didn’t get there in time.
  )
- Almost and practically can be used before words like any, anybody, anything, etc:
  I’ll eat almost anything.
  You can also use them before no, nobody, never, etc. but it is much more common to use hardly or scarcely with any, anybody, ever, etc:
  She’s hardly ever in
  (or:
  She’s almost never in
  ).
- Almost can be used when you are saying that one thing is similar to another:
  The boat looked almost like a toy.
- In British English you can use very and so before nearly:
  He was very nearly caught.
note at hardly
Extra Examples
- The story is almost certainly false.
- Dinner's almost ready.
- Their house is almost opposite ours.
- His voice was almost inaudible.
- The two brothers are almost inseparable.
- He slipped and almost fell.
- It's almost time to go.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
Almost is used with these adjectives:
absent
accidental
afraid
…
See full entry
Word OriginOld English æl mǣst ‘for the most part’, a composite of all and most.

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almost ~	nearly ~	practically ~
certainly	(numbers)	all
all	all	every
every	always	no
entirely	every	nothing
impossible	finished	impossible
empty	died	anything

See almost in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee almost in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

Check pronunciation: almost

Other results

All matches

(almost) upon you

Idioms

(almost) upon you

Nearby words

sufficiently

adverb

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OPAL written words

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