neighbor

[ney-ber]

See more synonyms for neighbor on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who lives near another.
a person or thing that is near another.
one's fellow human being: to be generous toward one's less fortunate neighbors.

a person who shows kindliness or helpfulness toward his or her fellow humans: to be a neighbor to someone in distress.
(used as a term of address, especially as a friendly greeting to a stranger): Tell me, neighbor, which way to town?

adjective

situated or living near another: one of our neighbor nations.

verb (used with object)

to live or be situated near to; adjoin; border on.
to place or bring near.

verb (used without object)

to live or be situated nearby.
to associate with or as if with one's neighbors; be neighborly or friendly (often followed by with).

Also especially British, neigh·bour.

Origin of neighbor

before 900; Middle English; Old English neahgebūr, nēahbūr (nēah nigh + (ge)būr farmer; see Boer, boor); akin to Dutch nabuur, German Nachbar, Old Norse nābūi

Related formsneigh·bor·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for neighbor

acquaintance, friend, abut, adjoin, bystander, homebody, march, communicate, surround, connect, verge, touch, join, line, border

Examples from the Web for neighbor

Contemporary Examples of neighbor

After a pause she invited me in with a warm smile, as if I were a neighbor.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind
Brin-Jonathan Butler
December 19, 2014
Sure, your cubicle mate, neighbor, and aunt all own a Fitbit or JawBone fitness tracker.
Nothing Says I Love You Like Data
The Daily Beast
December 8, 2014
Selling off the extras, I saw my neighbor marvel at the scent and murmur that he wished he could afford one.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison
Daniel Genis
December 8, 2014
And Hayao Miyazaki, the 73-year-old director behind hits like My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, is a walking legend.
Anime King Hayao Miyazaki’s Cursed Dreams
Melissa Leon
December 2, 2014
He and a neighbor friend worked for a time in a pizzeria in a nearby town.
Showing the Faces of Its Murderers, ISIS Shows Its Global Reach
Tracy McNicoll
November 18, 2014

Historical Examples of neighbor

He did not like his neighbor, Mr. Fish, any too well but there was no way out.
Ancient Man
Hendrik Willem van Loon
Young Sparrow must either starve or ask his neighbor to help him with a loan.
Ancient Man
Hendrik Willem van Loon
Casting from us our own faults first, let us cast from us and from him our neighbor's also.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
He did not love his neighbor enough to grasp the facts of the case.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
Here was her old friend and neighbor asking to take her out for a daylight ride.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart

Word Origin and History for neighbor

Old English neahgebur (West Saxon), nehebur (Anglian) "neighbor," from neah "near" (see nigh) + gebur "dweller," related to bur "dwelling" (see bower). Common Germanic compound (cf. Old Saxon nabur, Middle Dutch naghebuur, Dutch (na)bur, Old High German nahgibur, Middle High German nachgebur, German Nachbar). Good neighbor policy attested by 1937, but good neighbor with reference to U.S. policy toward Latin America was used by 1928 by Herbert Hoover.

1580s, from neighbor (n.). Related: Neighbored; neighboring.