neighbor

American  

[nay-ber] / ˈneɪ bər /

especially British, neighbour

noun

• neighbors
  plural

1. 

   a person who lives near another.

   My next door neighbor has an orange cat.

2. a person or thing that is near another.

3. one's fellow human being.

   You must be generous toward your less fortunate neighbors.

4. a person who shows kindliness or helpfulness toward others.

   She's always a neighbor to people in distress.

5. (used as a term of address, especially as a friendly greeting to a stranger).

   Tell me, neighbor, which way to town?

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adjective

1. situated or living near another.

   One of our neighbor nations is in need of aid.

verb (used with object)

1. to live or be situated near to; adjoin; border on.

   Germany neighbors Denmark.

2. to place or bring near.

verb (used without object)

1. to live or be situated nearby.

2. to associate with or as if with one's neighbors; be neighborly or friendly (often followed bywith ).

Usage

Spelling tips for neighbor The word neighbor is hard to spell because it is spelled differently from the way it is pronounced [ ney-ber ]. To make it even more confusing, neighbor is the American English spelling of the word. In British English, it is spelled with a u: neighbour. How to spell neighbor: The easiest way to remember how to spell neighbor is with the classic mnemonic device: I before E, except after C, except when it's EIGH [ ey ], as in neighbor or weigh.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• neighborless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• neighbors
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of neighbor

First recorded 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

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Explanation

A neighbor is a nearby person or thing. Be kind to your neighbor, for you never know when you will need to borrow sugar, a shovel, or the spare key to your house. The noun neighbor, spelled neahgebur in Old English, translates to “near” “dweller” when broken down into its individual parts. It makes sense, then, that neighbor refers to a nearby person, place, or thing. “It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose yours,” quipped Harry S. Truman, the 33rd American president.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

neighbor neighbors

It involves a hapless teenager, a sleazy neighbor and a Tiffany window stolen from a cemetery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Given how belligerent Canada’s southern neighbor has been lately, it feels defiant now too.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

But Carney sought to reassure his southern neighbor Thursday by saying the United States also stood to benefit from Canada diversifying its ties.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

My neighbor showed me his kids’ Halloween costumes today; a vampire, a zombie and a clown.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

We got to talking about a neighbor of the Maple Tree, and how he lives in a fancy stone house.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

For the 40,000 Nathaniels of Los Angeles, and nearly 4 million of their neighbors, here’s hoping the next mayor of Los Angeles can make a difference.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026

Such observations could reveal not only how companion stars influence their massive neighbors, but also how aging red supergiants lose material as they approach the final stages of their lives.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

They had avoided a loss to their winless neighbors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

The country is years behind its neighbors in Europe, where prepping is more commonplace.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Before long one of the neighbors came to where we were standing.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

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Related Words

• acquaintance
• friend

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