near
adverb
close; to a point or place not far away.
near
American
[neer]
/ nɪər /
adverb
nearer,
nearest
-
close; to a point or place not far away.
Come near so I won't have to shout.
- Antonyms:
- far
-
at, within, or to a short distance.
- Antonyms:
- far
-
close in time.
The New Year draws near.
-
close in relation; closely with respect to connection, similarity, intimacy, etc. (often used in combination).
a near-standing position.
-
all but; almost; nearly.
a period of near 30 years.
-
Nautical. close to the wind.
-
Archaic. in a thrifty or stingy manner.
adjective
-
nearer,
comparative
-
nearest
superlative
-
being close by; not distant.
the near fields.
- Antonyms:
- far
-
being the lesser in distance.
the near side.
- Antonyms:
- far
-
short or direct.
the near road.
- Antonyms:
- far
-
close in time.
the near future.
- Antonyms:
- far
-
closely related or connected.
our nearest relatives.
-
close to an original.
a near translation.
-
closely affecting one's interests or feelings.
a matter of near consequence to one.
-
intimate or familiar.
a near friend.
-
narrow or close.
a near escape.
-
thrifty or stingy.
near with one's pocketbook.
- Antonyms:
- generous
-
(of two draft animals hitched together) being on the driver's left (as opposed tooff ).
The near horse is going lame.
- Antonyms:
- far
preposition
-
at, to, or within a short distance, or no great distance, from or of.
regions near the equator.
-
close to in time.
near the beginning of the year.
-
close to a condition or state.
He is near death.
verb (used with or without object)
-
nears,
present (3rd person singular)
-
neared,
past participle, past
-
nearing
present participle
idioms
near
1
British
/ nɪə /
preposition
adverb
-
at or to a place or time not far away; close by
-
not far from; near
-
short for nearly
I was damn near killed
adjective
-
at or in a place not far away
-
(postpositive) not far away in time; imminent
departure time was near
-
(prenominal) only just successful or only just failing
a near escape
-
informal (postpositive) miserly, mean
-
(prenominal) closely connected or intimate
a near relation
verb
noun
near-
2
British
combining form
near
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
nearsimple
-
nearssimple
-
have nearedperfect
-
has nearedperfect
-
am nearingprogressive
-
are nearingprogressive
-
is nearingprogressive
-
have been nearingperfect progressive
-
has been nearingperfect progressive
Past
-
nearedsimple
-
had nearedperfect
-
was nearingprogressive
-
were nearingprogressive
-
had been nearingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of near
First recorded before 900; Middle English nere, Old English nēar, comparative of nēah nigh
Explanation
Things that are near are close by or recent. From far away, a hawk might look like a speck in the sky, but when it comes near, you can see how enormous and beautiful it is. When you stand near the food at a party, you're very close to it. When the time for your dentist appointment draws near, it's happening soon. If you find yourself near tears watching a sad movie, you're just about to cry. And, if your backpack is a near match to your friend's, you probably accidentally grab each other's bags all the time, since they resemble each other so closely.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It also said the gas turbine plan was a "worst-case scenario", and the project - planned for the site of an existing park and ride near Llanrumney - would bring significant benefits.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Jackson’s remains were found on May 1, 2022, in a barrel near Hemenway Harbor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Europe’s planned release of over 20 million barrels of diesel from emergency stocks through the IEA will bring additional supply to the market in the near term, helping to ease market tightness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
They were camping in a remote beachside area near the city of Ensenada when they were attacked on April 27, 2024.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Two thicker logs are left near the wagon for breakfast at first light.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Those could potentially include near- and far-sightedness and astigmatism, a common condition caused by an irregularly shaped cornea or lens.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026
Forsyth Barr identifies several themes that are critical to Mainfreight’s near- to medium-term outlook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
“Investors are rightfully looking for opportunities beyond the AI theme. And a more diverse set of sectors is helping broader averages like the S&P 500 tread water while near- and intermediate-term Tech dynamics play out.”
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
The trade market, given the current state of their roster, could better suit both their near- and long-term goals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2025
In almost every case, each side believed itself to be superior—ethnocentrism seems to be a near- universal human quality—and from this belief was convinced that it could control the encounter to its advantage.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
In the nearer term, he cautioned, even a small amount of S&P 500 underperformance could trigger that momentum crowd to flee, speeding up a selloff.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
China once accounted for more than a third of Porsche sales, but that share has dropped to nearer 15 percent and is expected to decline further.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
They resumed digging at a sprawling and decaying property, shifting the focus from a battered greenhouse that was the center of attention Tuesday to an area nearer a home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
As the businesses accelerated, a loss-of-control moment seemed nearer than ever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Carry the laptop to the armchair nearer him.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
The Saririaky formation offers another striking example of the geological similarities between Earth and its nearest celestial neighbor.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
"But up in the Tallahassee Hills, where the nearest massive Mississippian mound center is located, it's common in all vessels. It's the plain-Jane tempering technique there."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
"We're about five miles out from the nearest transport hub and it's just hard to organise lifts even to get to work or college."
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
The batteries would be more than 20 feet from the nearest home, the company says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
The towns nearest the volcano began selling souvenirs, like bumper stickers that read “Lava or Leave It,” and T-shirts that said “Mt. St. Helens, we lava you!”
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
We can expect to hear plenty more as the Budget nears.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
The book powerfully constricts as it nears the final appointment, describing a terrible itinerary of last things—David’s last meal, his last change of clothing, his last bit of paperwork.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
They join a growing pile of bills on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk as the legislature nears the end of its two-year session, which adjourns early this week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
CEOs — even as 84% of shareholders rejected it and a Paramount sale nears an $887-million exit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
As Laura nears her driveway, she honks the horn twice to alert the guard to open the gate, but surprisingly, it is already open.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
As he neared the edge of the village, Stupnikov heard a shout from one of the two-story homes on the street, which served as a brigade observation post.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Long Beach ordered some Peninsula residents to evacuate and Newport Beach temporarily closed its beaches and piers as Tropical Storm Rachel neared Southern California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
More than 130 people were on board the MV June Aster when the blaze erupted on Wednesday as it neared its destination at the tourist hotspot of Coron, after departing from Manila.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
As we neared the lagoon, a black-winged stilt flew alongside the car, trailing its legs behind it.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
I caught his eye as I neared and nodded.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
It’s made 40 deals worth $20 billion so far this year, according to remarks recently made by CEO Dave Ricks, and it has two new weight-loss drugs nearing regulatory review.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
The Fire Department already has a budget nearing $1 billion and the tax is expected to generate another $345 million annually to the department that has long said it is woefully underfunded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
By Saturday morning it was nearing its £20,000 target.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Anthropic is nearing its IPO and investors should watch this exchange-traded fund to gauge market sentiment.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
“We found a picture of it in the Brooklyn Museum. We tried to take care of it, but it was nearing the end of its life, so...”
From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott
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