near
adverb
close; to a point or place not far away.
Showing results for near.
Search instead for
neare.
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:
He remarked that it was a pleasure to play near the “soon-to-be-abandoned Rose Bowl,” as “no one wants to go there.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Al-Hilal, who have offered close to £40m, are not near to Aston Villa's asking price.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Schools were shuttered as smoke swathed the city in Nevada, near the California border, home to around 280,000 people.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
The indicator’s theoretical rationale is that households are late to jump on the market’s bandwagon, and are therefore most bullish at or near tops and most bearish at or near bottoms.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
IT WAS TWO evenings later, near the time when the lightbulb usually flickered off, that the cell door banged open and a guard strode in.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
That’s a top concern for many near- and current retirees.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Lasik was first performed in 1990 to fix near- and farsightedness and astigmatism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 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
To Lewis Powell, the former Confederate spy who watched Lincoln’s speech with Booth, will go the task of killing Secretary Seward, who, at age sixty-three, is currently bedridden after a near- fatal carriage accident.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
But as the season draws nearer and a new era of Bruin football begins, all the enthusiasm does beg the question: What does a successful debut actually look like for Chesney at UCLA?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
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
Then the mountains seemed to come nearer to us on each side and to frown down upon us; we were entering on the Borgo Pass.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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
Substituted players have 10 seconds to leave the field at the nearest point.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Separated only by a gated alley, the fenced-off facility is about 100 feet from the nearest home.
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
Mama gasped and Papa sat in the nearest chair.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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 next Tuesday's transfer deadline nears, Villa will play hardball for their all-time record Premier League goalscorer.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
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
Once a mosquito nears a trap, a small fan forces it into a baglike net, where it is held for pickup.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 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
One asset benefiting from the market turmoil is bitcoin, which was recently up almost 6% and briefly neared $80,000 early this morning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
As the first half neared its end, things got complicated for the Galaxy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
The stoppage is the third office-to-residential conversion halted since the former Pfizer headquarters neared partial collapse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
As the flames - aided by strong winds - neared their property on Thursday, the couple and their neighbours decided to try escape by car.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
A torrent of people greeted me as I neared the Serenity Suite.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
The US is nearing its $41.1tn debt ceiling, with debt forecast to climb to about $64tn by 2036, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
By the end of the summer, Shields was nearing 20 scholarship offers after just one season as an offensive lineman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
Finally, the company said it was nearing a deal for two data centers, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Pretend you’re a rational saver nearing retirement who just won Powerball and needs to pick an option.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
“With good reason,” Celaena said, stepping over the legs of the Crown Prince and nearing the fifth pup.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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.
