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

See Examples For:

Near East

“Both the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran think they won this war,” said Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

"From a US perspective, I would say the US was operationally brilliant but the conflict was strategically indecisive," said Singh, now managing director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026

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

The Near East became the cradle of civilization: to be civilized, after all, means to live as a citizen, a town dweller.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson