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Synonyms

near

American  
[neer] / nɪər /

adverb

nearer, nearest

  1. close; to a point or place not far away.

    Come near so I won't have to shout.
    Antonyms:
    far

  2. at, within, or to a short distance.

    Antonyms:
    far

  3. close in time.

    The New Year draws near.

  4. close in relation; closely with respect to connection, similarity, intimacy, etc. (often used in combination).

    a near-standing position.

  5. all but; almost; nearly.

    a period of near 30 years.

  6. Nautical. close to the wind.

  7. Archaic. in a thrifty or stingy manner.

adjective

nearer, nearest

  1. being close by; not distant.

    the near fields.
    Antonyms:
    far

  2. being the lesser in distance.

    the near side.
    Antonyms:
    far

  3. short or direct.

    the near road.
    Antonyms:
    far

  4. close in time.

    the near future.
    Synonyms:
    impending, imminent
    Antonyms:
    far

  5. closely related or connected.

    our nearest relatives.

  6. close to an original.

    a near translation.

  7. closely affecting one's interests or feelings.

    a matter of near consequence to one.

  8. intimate or familiar.

    a near friend.

  9. narrow or close.

    a near escape.

  10. thrifty or stingy.

    near with one's pocketbook.
    Synonyms:
    miserly, tight
    Antonyms:
    generous

  11. (of two draft animals hitched together) being on the driver's left (as opposed tooff ).

    The near horse is going lame.
    Antonyms:
    far

preposition

  1. at, to, or within a short distance, or no great distance, from or of.

    regions near the equator.

  2. close to in time.

    near the beginning of the year.

  3. close to a condition or state.

    He is near death.

verb (used with or without object)

  1. to come or draw near; approach.

    The boat neared the dock. Storm clouds neared.

idioms

  1. near at hand,

    1. in the immediate vicinity.

      There is a shopping area near at hand.

    2. in the near future; soon.

      The departure is near at hand.
near 1 British  
/ nɪə /

preposition

  1. at or to a place or time not far away from; close to

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. at or to a place or time not far away; close by

  2. not far from; near

  3. short for nearly

    I was damn near killed
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. at or in a place not far away

  2. (postpositive) not far away in time; imminent

    departure time was near

  3. (prenominal) only just successful or only just failing

    a near escape

  4. informal (postpositive) miserly, mean

  5. (prenominal) closely connected or intimate

    a near relation
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to come or draw close (to)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. Also called: nearside. 

    1. the left side of a horse, team of animals, vehicle, etc

    2. ( as modifier )

      the near foreleg
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
near- 2 British  

combining form

  1. nearly; almost

    a near-perfect landing
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
near More Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing near

Other Word Forms

  • nearness noun
  • overnear adjective
  • overnearness noun

Etymology

Origin of near

First recorded before 900; Middle English nere, Old English nēar, comparative of nēah nigh

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.

Instead, their size changes in the opposite way, reaching a maximum near 1.1° and disappearing above ~2°.

From Science Daily

On Monday, Minnesota school districts and educators sought an emergency order in federal court to stop immigration operations near public schools because of their potential to traumatize children.

From Salon

About 70% of this will come from new wells and developments, and it plans to drill 250 exploration wells, most of them near existing fields.

From The Wall Street Journal

"We basically just threw clothes on, grabbed our phones and just headed to the nearest stairs."

From BBC

Cars are now smaller and more environmentally friendly, with engines that have a near 50-50 split between electric and internal combustion power - and use fully sustainable fuels.

From BBC

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.