almost

adv

1. (not-comparable)Very close to, but not quite.

   “Almost all people went there.”

   “We almost missed the train.”

   “Nobody, or almost, noticed anything unusual.”

   “Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, the consciousness dawning upon him that his eccentricity was not receiving the ovation it merited.”

   “This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything. In a moment she had dropped to the level of a casual labourer.”

2. (not-comparable)Up to, except for a negligible set (where negligible is not universally but contextually defined).

   “almost all”

   “almost no”

3. (not-comparable)Up to, except for a negligible set (where negligible is not universally but contextually defined).

   “almost everywhere”

   “almost nowhere”

   “almost certain”

   “almost sure”

noun

1. (informal)Something or someone that doesn't quite make it.

   “In all the submissions, they found four papers that were clearly worth publishing and another dozen almosts.”