almost

almost — adverb

1. very close to a state, amount, or action, but not fully reaching or completing i

1.adverbA2
Definition

very close to a state, amount, or action, but not fully reaching or completing it.

Example

Dimitri had almost finished his homework when the lights went out.

almost + past participle showing an action close to completion

The soup is almost ready; give it two more minutes on the stove.

almost + adjective for a state nearly reached

Common collocations
  • almost finished
  • almost ready
  • almost everyone
  • almost every day
  • almost never
  • almost certainly
  • almost impossible
  • almost identical
Synonyms
  • nearly

    very close in meaning; British speakers often prefer 'nearly' for measurements and time.

  • practically

    informal; suggests the difference from full completion is so small it can be ignored.

  • virtually

    slightly more formal; common in writing about statistics or general truths.

  • just about

    informal, conversational; often used in spoken English with a sense of 'on the edge of'.

Antonyms
  • completely

    marks a state or action as fully reached, the opposite of falling short.

  • exactly

    used for precise amounts, where 'almost' marks an approximation.

Grammar Patterns

almost + verb

almost + adjective/adverb

almost + number/quantity

almost + all/every/never/no one

Usage Note

Sits directly before the word it modifies — usually a main verb, an adjective, an adverb, or a quantity word like 'all', 'every', 'never', 'no one'. With a simple verb tense, place 'almost' before the verb (she almost cried), not after it.

Common Mistakes

I finished almost my homework.
I almost finished my homework.
'almost' goes before the verb, not before the object.
Almost people enjoyed the show.
Almost everyone enjoyed the show.
before a noun, use 'almost all/every/everyone', not 'almost' alone.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All five words mark something as close to but not fully reaching a point. 'Almost' and 'nearly' are the most neutral and interchangeable in everyday speech, though 'nearly' feels slightly more British and pairs naturally with measured quantities ('nearly six o'clock', 'nearly a metre long'). 'Practically' and 'virtually' both suggest the gap from full is so small you can treat the result as complete; 'practically' is warmer and more conversational ('the room was practically empty'), while 'virtually' tilts a little more formal and shows up in writing about statistics or general claims ('virtually all students passed'). 'Just about' is the most casual, especially in spoken English, often signalling that something is right on the edge ('I'm just about ready').

almost ↗nearly ↗practically ↗virtually ↗just about ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • almost always
  • almost never
  • almost certainly
  • almost everyone
  • almost all
  • almost every
  • almost nothing
  • almost impossible
  • almost identical
  • almost as ... as

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Almost' was built in Old English by joining 'eall' (all) with 'mǣst' (most), originally meaning something like 'mostly all' or 'for the most part'. Over the Middle English period the two parts fused into a single adverb and the meaning narrowed from 'mostly' to today's sense of 'very nearly but not quite'.