almost

Pluralalmosts

1. 1
   nearlyadverb

   Very close to a state, amount, or outcome, but not quite reaching it.

   The bottle was almost empty by the end of the trip.

   He almost finished the marathon before cramping forced him to stop.

   UsageTo mean nearly everyone in a group, say almost all students or almost every student (not incorrect: almost students).

   Similarnearly, practically, virtually

   Note

   It can qualify a verb (we almost missed the train), a quantity (almost all) or an adjective, as in the American novelist Winston Churchill's The Celebrity (1897), where a man is 'almost impervious to sarcasm'. It can even stand alone after or, as in 'nobody, or almost, noticed', leaving the rest of the sentence understood.

2. 2
   near missnouncolloquialcountable

   A person or thing that comes close to succeeding but ultimately falls short.

   For years he was the almost of the chess world, reaching six finals and losing every one.

   The band's early years were a string of almosts: record deals that fell apart at the last minute.

   Similaralso-ran

   Note

   Here an adverb has become a countable noun, with the regular plural almosts. It works best when set against clear successes, as in 'four papers clearly worth publishing and another dozen almosts.'

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