near
adverb
close; to a point or place not far away.
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negr.
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:
These launches, conducted from a Texas base near protected natural areas, have drawn sharp criticism from advocacy groups in recent years.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The group could face competition from other smartglasses models in the near future, with Google and Apple preparing their own models of the wearable tech.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Third place is the least I expected this season, but, albeit only after two competitive games, we'll get nowhere near that.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The “phased” nature of the reopening of southern ports to Mexican cattle is expected to significantly limit how many cattle actually flow into the U.S. in the near term, said Maloni at ArrowStream.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Before Berlin could even try to formulate a response, Marcie left, after waving at someone parking their rough-idling Buick near the picnic tables under the big awning.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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
Lasik was first performed in 1990 to fix near- and farsightedness and astigmatism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
“The bull case for U.S. large-caps is entirely based on investors being willing to pay either near- or above-record valuations over the next 12—24 months,” Colas writes.
From Barron's ● Dec. 4, 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
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
For the next few days temperatures will be back up to nearer average before starting to climb further.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
The United States had more than 35,000 troops in Germany in 2024, according to the Congressional Research Service, although the number is now believed to be higher with German media saying it's nearer 50,000.
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
Carry the laptop to the armchair nearer him.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
Women can check online, external to find their nearest participating pharmacy.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Targeting the Caspian, more than 430 miles from Ukraine’s nearest border, gives Kyiv an opportunity to disrupt Moscow’s links with Tehran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Meals used in the clinical trial are prepared in a controlled metabolic kitchen, where researchers measure ingredients to the nearest 0.1 gram.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told the TF1 broadcaster that authorities would "do everything to protect" Bordeaux, the nearest city to the fire.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
The key melted into a silver staircase that stretched to the nearest road.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
The yearslong divorce battle nears a climax Friday, when a panel of appeals court judges is scheduled to decide how to divide Chey’s roughly $5 billion fortune with his 65-year-old ex-wife, Roh Soh-yeong.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Bertha is forecast to weaken back to a tropical depression on Thursday and may dissipate by the end of the week as it nears the Texas coast.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 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
More than half a dozen versions of the heavy bomber have been used by the U.S. military, which is planning yet another update of the aging aircraft as it nears its 100th birthday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
A car nears and turns into the drive, its headlights beaming into their eyes.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
A smattering of hardy locals even stayed until the final anthem was sung as the clocked neared 11pm.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Across Italy from north to south, 25 cities were placed on a red heatwave alert on Tuesday, including the capital, Milan, Turin, Venice, Florence and Naples, as temperatures neared 40C.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 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 California’s primary neared, people staked their dollars on the state’s races in droves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
As they neared the top, the day grew closer; Anya had never before dreaded the sunrise.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
There are few signs the conflict is nearing an end, as the U.S. and Iran continue strikes and traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remains crippled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
There are about 547 miles of trunk line underground across the city, much of which is nearing the end of its useful life and will need to be replaced in the coming years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Around 2023, as the chart shows, that beat was nearing 65%.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
If that is the case, “then the stock market is currently nearing capacity,” Paulsen said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
The local saloons and other businesses formed a Stockyards Aid Society, and relief stations distributed groceries to those families nearing starvation.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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.
