neighboring
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of neighboring
Explanation
An object that's neighboring is right next to something else. Neighboring countries share a common border, and neighboring cars are parked side-by-side. In a restaurant, if someone at the neighboring table starts telling terrible jokes, you'll have to listen, since they're adjacent to your table. And if you live in Maine, New Hampshire is the only neighboring state. The adjective neighboring comes from the verb form of neighbor, which is rooted in the Old English words neah, "near," and gebur, "dweller."
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.
The fire has sent heavy smoke into neighboring communities for more than a week, disrupting life and business in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026
Washington lifted sanctions on Belarusian potash and encouraged neighboring countries to do the same, allowing exports that would generate some revenue for the cash-strapped country.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
The neighboring Mojave South section of the San Andreas Fault currently stands at 2.8 MPa.
From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2026
“There’s always been a lottery,” insists one of Jackson’s oldest villagers when someone mentions that a neighboring village is thinking of giving it up.
From Salon • Jun. 18, 2026
The details in the lobby—the old posters and preserved light fixtures that had been the fruits of countless salvage trips and digging through neighboring theater basements—were one thing.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
