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almost

[awl-mohst, awl-mohst]

adverb

very nearly; all but: almost every house; almost the entire symphony; to pay almost nothing for a car; almost twice as many books.

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English; Old English (e)al māst, variant of æl mǣst nearly

Can be confused: almost, most.

Synonyms
Almost (most), nearly, well-nigh all mean within a small degree of or short space of. Almost implies very little short of: almost exhausted; almost home. Most is colloquial for almost. Nearly implies a slightly greater distance or degree than almost: nearly well; nearly to the city. Well-nigh, a more literary word, implies a barely appreciable distance or extent: well-nigh forgotten; well-nigh home.

Usage note
See most.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Almost is always a great word to know.

So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

a fool or simpleton; ninny.

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Example Sentences

The result is that almost two-thirds of the university's total tuition revenue comes from one-third of its students.

It is notable that almost nobody in business or government is prepared to talk publicly.

It may be hard to imagine a planet blacker than coal, but astronomers say they've found one-and it reflects almost no light.

EXPAND

The result is that almost two-thirds of the university's total tuition revenue comes from one-third of its students.

It is notable that almost nobody in business or government is prepared to talk publicly.

It may be hard to imagine a planet blacker than coal, but astronomers say they've found one-and it reflects almost no light.

It seems that in almost all other species, especially primates, baring one's teeth is a threat or a show of potential force.

Almost every house or trailer has some on display: church and prom.

Climbing roses are almost as popular as their shrubby counterparts, and they likewise need regular water and fertilizer to thrive.

The line for autographs extended almost into the hotel lobby and the line for photos was almost extended into the autograph line.

Nature has no lines, whereas drawing almost always contains lines.

Almost four years after the storm, a quarter of the.

Almost all pufferfish contain tetrodotoxin, a substance that makes them foul tasting and often lethal to fish.

As vast as the oceans are, almost no waters remain untouched by human activities.

The second observation point rests in almost the exact same position due east of the towers.

Strolling through one is almost as calming as meditation.

There's almost no advertising in the free section, so there's no impetus to upgrade.

One place they're looking: tuition, which continues to go up on almost every campus.

The deeper cause was that it was built almost entirely on debt.

Nearby, the glacier is almost cormorant black, then petrel gray.

In what has become almost routine, the heart-lung machine.

Great sharks blacktips, great whites and other species longer than six feet have been hunted almost to extinction in places.

The result is a sheltered but almost seamless house that resembles an airy garden pavilion.

Almost monthly, a college or university fraternity.

The family got together almost only during the summer holidays.

Another boy dived almost on top of me, but he could not swim well, and he clutched at me.

Ten resolutions could globally ensure a basic human right at almost unnoticeable cost.

Females almost never leave their tightly knit matriarchal families.

Running almost seamlessly from floor to ceiling and wall to wall on one side of the room, the mirror is both decorative and.

Almost three-quarters of those who did drop out had not discussed their intentions with instructors or.

Yet last week's statistics were accompanied only by a low-key press release and almost no media coverage.

The coastline of the continents was changed drastically and almost all life on land was exterminated.

Liquid-nitrogen jet slices and scours almost anything.

Go to the dinosaur hall of almost any major natural history museum, and you are likely to find the same creatures.

Crisp-fried chicken tacos have been the party entrée of choice here for almost a decade.

Just a few years ago, the opportunities for scientific entrepreneurs seemed almost limitless.

Her almost pathological reverence for the truth made her a remarkable journalist.

Curing almost all malaria cases can be worse than curing none.

Mice fed an alternating high-fat and low-fat diet lived almost as long as mice on a constant low-fat diet--and.

The fruit didn't originate here, but the region produces more and probably better figs than almost anywhere else.

The room widens almost imperceptibly, then narrows again as the adobe.

If the ad calls for a sociology instructor, the committee is almost certainly looking for someone with a degree in sociology.

Rumours of a political motive for the murder began almost at once.

Once sheltered by remote atolls, this oldest living seal is now almost extinct.

Researchers have developed a way to put smart phones almost to sleep to stretch battery life but keep the.

Add to this the almost vertical body, with tail extended in line, and glorious blue legs and feet.

During the day, the white powder-coated roof almost acts as a sundial, casting a broad shadow onto the.

All that has changed, of course, the term of copyright now being statistically almost indistinguishable from a perpetual grant.

As he watched bits of paper dancing with the effect of friction, he almost discovered electricity.

Although some volcanoes are considered extinct, almost any volcano is capable of rumbling to life again.

Human embryonic stem cells offer great medical hope, because of their ability to develop into almost any kind of adult cell.

Tab had saccharine then, and the bitter taste was almost as tongue-numbing as szechuan peppercorns.

Latimer loves to cook almost as much as she loves to camp, but over the years she has learned to be practical.

Students almost invariably give each other perfect marks, defeating the purpose of the exercise.

But almost all listed companies are still controlled by the state.

Others are almost clear, or transparent, so you can't see them either.

And for almost as long, farmers, municipalities and conservationists have tussled over who has the right to use it.

Even though innumerable museums have dinosaur exhibits and filmmakers are almost constantly calling paleontologists to appear.

Clusters of small, bell-shaped, brilliant blue flowers bloom almost all summer.

Anyway, they can see all of the results of their exam by coming to my office hours, but almost no one chooses to do this.

Notions of corporate governance and shareholder accountability are almost entirely absent.

The enormous force and weight of so much water sweeps away almost everything in its path.

The rapidly disappearing daylight seems almost to drag away part.

That's almost always a good guess about how you're going to feel in the future.

First, branches spread out in almost equal threes, creating weak crotches that are likely to split.

The committee reviewed my case the following academic year, although its composition had remained almost identical.

The state almost everywhere is big, inefficient and broke.

Others are so hot that almost nothing can live there.

Almost everyone has a tendency to imagine the mind continuing to exist after the death of the body.

For almost a century, those particulars have kept coming, and the desire for them seems unabated.

Plants bloom almost continually during mild weather.

The devices are, after all, in almost every student's pocket.

The ensuing public outcry would almost certainly result in the law being rewritten in favour of scientific advancement.

But then he became sort of an icon, and his job on the pile was almost as important as a therapy dog as it was as a search dog.

Perseverance seems hardly to express his almost fierce desire to force the truth to reveal itself".

He had been in and out of hospitals for almost two years.

The name almost says it all: pizzas, pasta, and microbrews.

Success appeared to come almost effortlessly to her.

Scientists are almost certain that the tremors are not earthquakes.

Astronauts have to be prepared for almost everything in space, but also anything on the ground.

It's almost as if you were invited to some kind of extraordinary dinner party to meet these individuals.

Two women almost crashed their cars into each other trying to escape.

Nor do investors have much chance to protest, since poison pills are almost always introduced without a shareholder vote.

Almost the entire continent-98 percent-is covered in ice that is thousands of years old.

It would be almost impossible to inject genes directly into all these sites.

Burgers are the perfect solution for casual entertaining: easy, quick to cook, and beloved by almost everyone.

The rusted boiler rests opposite the paddle wheels, almost aligned with the bottles.

After hearing the punch line of the joke, the teenager falls to the floor, almost as if actually punched.

Blooms almost year-round, bearing lavender-blue flower spikes at branch ends.

Other times the flounder turns an almost see-through color to avoid its own predators when swimming near the water's surface.

Commercial apiaries are located in mild-winter areas, where they can raise bees almost year-round.

Brown, winged fruits hang on almost all winter- or even into spring or summer.

Almost immediately two black bear cubs came barreling out of the bushes toward him.

During the adolescent growth spurt, the rate of fat increase in girls almost doubles that of boys.

It's almost a joke the way so many trees here are billed as the widest, the tallest, or the oldest.

Almost all of the mountains exhibit ridges parallel to their margins.

Almost without exception, if a bird is dry, it's been cooked too long?and the.

The inhabitants of paved cities are almost entirely exempt from attacks of malaria.

It's a grand gesture that lets you know spring is almost here and the cycle of life has started all over again.

In the realm of research, finding out what you don't know is almost as important as knowing what you do.

Leaves are narrow and willow-like, but its midseason white flowers sparse and almost hidden by new leaves are insignificant.

Almost all stars shine as a result of the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium.

Oxbow is such a foodie paradise, you almost expect harps to play and angels to flutter as you enter the building.

Almost every room has a balcony or deck, accentuating the treehouse feel and essentially doubling the living space.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

almost (ˈɔːlməʊst)

—*adv*
	little short of being; very nearly

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

almost

O.E. eallmæst, lit. "mostly all," compound of eal, al "all" + mæst "most."

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