Near East

American  

[neer eest] / ˈnɪər ˈist /

noun

1. an indefinite geographical or regional term, usually referring to the countries of southwestern Asia, including Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia and the other nations of Arabia.

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Near East British  

noun

1. another term for the Middle East

2. (formerly) the Balkan States and the area of the Ottoman Empire

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Near East Cultural  

1. A region in western Asia and northeastern Africa, often considered the same as the Middle East.

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Other Word Forms

• Near Eastern adjective

Etymology

Origin of Near East

First recorded in 1855–60

Compare meaning

How does near-east compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Near East vs. Middle East

Example Sentences

Holly Dagres, an Iran specialist at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy think tank told the BBC that the use of children at security checkpoints "underscores the desperation of the Islamic Republic".

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Between 193 and 197, Severus was confronted by two rivals, Clodius Albinus in Gaul and Britain, and Pescennius Niger in the Near East.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Writing for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in October, Mladenov said that "sustained US engagement will be essential, alongside the willingness of European and regional partners to contribute both funds and troops."

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

“Battlefield damage assessment is an imprecise art, with initial estimates frequently being way off,” said Patrick Clawson, an expert on Iran and director for research at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2025

Cuneiform writing, the remote ancestor of the Western alphabet, was invented in the Near East about 5,000 years ago.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan