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:
Two people have died and an evacuation is under way after two fires broke out within minutes of each other on a Greek island near Athens.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
As I stood in the shrubbery near her window, Cindy waved her hand this way and that, directing me from inside about the best spot for the feeding station.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The pitch, of course, was nowhere near the strike zone and, despite the pain and in an effort to see if that was a fluke, he tried to throw another.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
These toads no longer live anywhere near Los Angeles.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
When Pearl came back, she had a grip on the little kid who didn’t want to be anywhere near here.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
That’s a top concern for many near- and current retirees.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Drivers are paying sharply more at the pumps, and that risks lifting households’ near- and longer-term inflation expectations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
Higher government bond yields reflect the likelihood of near- term rate hikes, and lift the value of the yen.
From Barron's ● Dec. 1, 2025
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
The marine heat wave is also pushing great white sharks nearer to the shore -- a rare sight.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
We may also eventually receive light from some galaxies located even farther away, provided that the light began traveling toward us when the galaxies were nearer.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
While expectations for the House may evolve as the November election draws nearer, only 218 votes are needed for a legislative majority in the House.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Also, if a formal deal paves the way for Brent crude oil to “settle say nearer $80 a barrel, Australian dollar can see more topside, towards US$0.7100,” the head of FX strategy says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
But as the day drew nearer, her prayers went unanswered.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
AFP saw several residents of the small town of Mbay, in Nagekeo regency nearest the epicentre, camped out in makeshift tents they had erected using tarpaulins and poles.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
The blaze was 5% contained Monday evening, with containment lines focused on the western edge of the fire nearest to PCH, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
When Fudge searched online for the nearest bank branch, the scammer asked what she was doing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
For the stocks listed in this table, that would mean buying the straddles expiring on Aug. 14, or the next nearest date if that expiration date not exist for a particular stock.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
It was a strange dinner party that evening, veering as it did from heartfelt thanksgiving to the nearest thing to a bitter argument our close-knit family had ever had.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
As Israel’s October election nears, he wants to be seen standing firm for Israel’s security.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
But that sense of control evaporates as soon as Layla's period nears - the peak of her menstrual cycle.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
But the feeling one is left with as the court nears the end of this term is a deep frustration about who gets access to justice.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
When a parent nears the end of their life, issues like costs for care and splitting inheritances can arise, and family fights about money can get even more intense.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
The kids have been hard at work promoting the event in hopes of rallying support for local businesses as the opening of the SmartMart Superstore nears.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
After a measured start, the 35-year-old moved through the gears, before showing the first signs of cramp as he neared his half-century, which came up with his fifth four in 71 balls.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The Guardian reported last week that as the World Cup neared its successful conclusion, nearly 200 of FIFA’s 211 member associations are endorsing Infantino’s bid for reelection to a fourth term as president next March.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Japan’s Nikkei 225 also shed more than 3.5%, with tech leading the declines, as the yen neared its weakest level in four decades.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
The number of MPs who had pledged their support for Burham’s leadership had neared 300 by the time Starmer said he would step down.
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026
As he neared Peanut, Ben suddenly flipped the ball directly in Peanut’s hands, stepped aside, and with a flourish of his arm offered Peanut Abbott the whole court and an easy layup.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
He is now nearing the end of his prison sentence and will be supervised for a further three years after his release.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
With his eldest nearing the end of her time in primary school -- and clandestine courses in their northern city costing more than half his salary -- he sees no option but to leave.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Meanwhile, Anthropic’s revenue growth recently surpassed OpenAI’s, as did its valuation, which is now nearing $1 trillion, powered by the success of coding tool Claude Code.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
Construction is nearing completion, but it’s unclear when teams will start practicing and playing there because the facility still needs to go through inspections and receive a Certificate of Occupancy from the city.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
I was nearing Miss Sadie’s but wasn’t close enough to make a dash through the gate.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
