near

[ neer ]

adverb

, near·er, near·est.

1. close; to a point or place not far away:

   Come near so I won't have to shout.

   Antonyms: far

2. at, within, or to a short distance.

   Antonyms: far

3. close in time:

   The New Year draws near.

4. close in relation; closely with respect to connection, similarity, intimacy, etc. (often used in combination):

   a near-standing position.

5. all but; almost; nearly:

   a period of near 30 years.

6. Nautical. close to the wind.
7. Archaic. in a thrifty or stingy manner.

adjective

, near·er, near·est.

1. being close by; not distant:

   the near fields.

   Antonyms: far

2. being the lesser in distance:

   the near side.

   Antonyms: far

3. short or direct:

   the near road.

   Antonyms: far

4. close in time:

   the near future.

   Synonyms: impending, imminent

   Antonyms: far

5. closely related or connected:

   our nearest relatives.

6. close to an original:

   a near translation.

7. closely affecting one's interests or feelings:

   a matter of near consequence to one.

8. intimate or familiar:

   a near friend.

9. narrow or close:

   a near escape.

10. thrifty or stingy:

    near with one's pocketbook.

    Synonyms: miserly, tight

    Antonyms: generous

11. (of two draft animals hitched together) being on the driver's left (as opposed to off ):

    The near horse is going lame.

    Antonyms: far

preposition

1. at, to, or within a short distance, or no great distance, from or of:

   regions near the equator.

2. close to in time:

   near the beginning of the year.

3. close to a condition or state:

   He is near death.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to come or draw near; approach:

   The boat neared the dock. Storm clouds neared.

near-

¹

combining_form

1. nearly; almost

   a near-perfect landing

near

²

/ nɪə /

preposition

1. at or to a place or time not far away from; close to

adverb

1. at or to a place or time not far away; close by
2. near to
   not far from; near
3. short for nearly

   I was damn near killed

adjective

1. at or in a place not far away
2. postpositive not far away in time; imminent

   departure time was near

3. prenominal only just successful or only just failing

   a near escape

4. informal.
   postpositive miserly, mean
5. prenominal closely connected or intimate

   a near relation

verb

1. to come or draw close (to)

noun

1. Also callednearside
   1. the left side of a horse, team of animals, vehicle, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      the near foreleg

Derived Forms

• ˈnearness, noun

Other Words From

• nearness noun
• over·near adjective adverb
• over·nearness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of near¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English nere, Old English nēar, comparative of nēah nigh

Word History and Origins

Origin of near¹

Old English nēar (adv), comparative of nēah close, nigh ; related to Old Frisian niār, Old Norse nǣr, Old High German nāhōr

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. near at hand,
   1. in the immediate vicinity:

      There is a shopping area near at hand.

   2. in the near future; soon:

      The departure is near at hand.

More idioms and phrases containing near

• far and near
• in the near future
• not anything like (anywhere near)

Example Sentences

They were instead put to work for little pay, mainly at a waste-recycling plant near Budapest, according to details of the investigation made public on Friday.

From BBC

Aaron Morris, 31, died about six hours after his motorbike collided with a car on 1 July 2022 in Esh Winning, near Durham.

From BBC

The strike in Douris, near the city of Baalbek, destroyed a building of the civil defence agency, which is linked to the Lebanese government and not affiliated with the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.

From BBC

Just last fall, Lu was studying computer science at San Francisco State University, close to her childhood neighborhood near Ocean Beach, posting to deep-cut shoegaze Reddit forums and figuring out her sound.

From Los Angeles Times

Also, the partial democratization of the information economy means that the old gatekeepers in corporate media no longer have anywhere near as much influence as they used to have.

From Salon

Related Words

• adjacent
• adjoining
• immediate
• nearby
• neighboring
• warm