almost
- 01 A2 Elementary
adv.very close to a certain amount, time, or state, but not quite there.
adv.nearly or all but; indicates a state that falls just short of completion or absolute truth.
Simple“It was almost midnight by the time we finally got home.”
In context“The project was almost complete when the sudden withdrawal of funding forced the team to halt all operations indefinitely.”
UsageUsually placed before the word it modifies, such as a verb, adjective, or number.
PitfallI almost have finished my homework. I have almost finished my homework.Place 'almost' before the main verb or the adjective it describes, usually after the first auxiliary verb.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
adv.used in math to say something is true for nearly every part of a group.
adv.describes a property that holds for all elements of a set except for a subset of measure zero.
Simple“The two functions are almost equal across the entire range.”
In context“In measure theory, we say a property holds almost everywhere if the set of points where it fails has a measure of zero.”
UsageOften appears in the phrase 'almost everywhere' or 'almost surely'.
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.something that nearly succeeded but failed at the last moment.
n.an instance or entity that falls just short of a goal or a specific classification.
Simple“The movie was an almost—it had great acting but a weak ending.”
In context“His career was a series of almosts, characterized by brilliant starts that never quite culminated in a major championship title.”
Usage almost entirely · almost certainly · almost years
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Indo-European *h₂elnós Proto-Germanic *allaz Proto-Germanic *ala- Proto-West Germanic *ala- Old English æl- Proto-Indo-European *meh₂-der. Proto-Germanic *maiz Proto-Germanic *maistaz Proto-Germanic *maist Proto-West Germanic *maist Old English mǣst Old English eallmǣst Middle English almost English almost From Middle English almost, from Old English eallmǣst (“nearly all, almost, for the most part”), equivalent to al- (“all”) + most.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.