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.
Human-to-human transmission of hantavirus was first discovered in 1996 in the neighboring town of El Bolson, and it was later found to have happened in Epuyen.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
The U.S. finished its withdrawal from neighboring Niger in 2024, including from a drone base that conducted counterterrorism intelligence-gathering and reconnaissance missions in the Sahel.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
A sheriff’s detective served Susan Flores with the search warrant shortly after 7 a.m., and also have access to a neighboring home where the scientists in 2023 detected the volatile organic compounds.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
"They are so energy rich that they spread out like a wave and knock ever more electrons out of neighboring copper atoms," explains Cowan.
From Science Daily • May 1, 2026
Voices drift over from the neighboring yard, punctuated every now and then by the report of firecrackers going off in different parts of the city in honor of Independence Day.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
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.
