transcription, транскрипция: [ nɪə(r)li ]
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
Nearly is used to indicate that something is not quite the case, or not completely the case.
Goldsworth stared at me in silence for nearly twenty seconds...
Hunter knew nearly all of this already...
Several times Thorne nearly fell...
I nearly had a heart attack when she told me...
The beach was nearly empty...
They nearly always ate outside.
= almost, practically
ADV : ADV group , ADV before v
2.
Nearly is used to indicate that something will soon be the case.
It was already nearly eight o’clock...
I was nearly asleep...
The voyage is nearly over...
You’re nearly there...
I’ve nearly finished the words for your song.
= almost
ADV : ADV group , ADV before v
3.
You use not nearly to emphasize that something is not the case.
Father’s flat in Paris wasn’t nearly as grand as this...
Minerals in general are not nearly so well absorbed as other nutrients...
British car workers did not earn nearly enough money to buy the products they were turning out.
= nowhere near
PHRASE : PHR adj / adv , PHR n [ emphasis ]