First recorded in 1475–85
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"He's the sort of person you'd want as your next-door neighbour... it was always good to see him."
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
When Felix and his quirky next-door neighbor Marigold find a wooden box labeled “Open Me” hidden away in a closet, they discover a recording device with an intriguing auditory riddle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
No one — not his children or your nieces or the next-door neighbor’s second cousin twice removed — has a right to that money.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026
Phuangketkeow later told AFP that Thailand had proposed what it termed "calibrated engagement", saying the country needed to be proactive given its status as Myanmar's next-door neighbour.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
Midwives, nurses, dentists, barbers, apothecaries, wandering healers, quack physicians, and next-door neighbors offered opinions on the disease, too.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
The pianos are always muted, the drums all sound like they're being played next door, and the orchestra is buried deep in the mix to foreground Abrams' voice.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The empty-nesters recently bought the 5,000-square-foot house next door.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
They have a one-bedroom, 1.5-bath condo on a high floor, as well as a 520-square-foot unit next door.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Through more than four years of the Russian invasion, 27-year-old Oleksiy Virskovsky largely hasn't bothered going to the underground shelter in the building next door -- despite almost nightly missile and drone attacks.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
“I suppose we could—what if we went to my neighbor Theo’s room? He should have left for class by now. His room is next door and might have the lighting you’re looking for.”
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
