neighbor

1 of 3

noun

neigh·​bor ˈnā-bər How to pronounce neighbor (audio)
1
: one living or located near another
had lunch with her next-door neighbor
2
: fellow man
thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyselfMatthew 19:19 (King James Version)

neighbor

2 of 3

adjective

: being immediately adjoining or relatively near

neighbor

3 of 3

verb

neighbored; neighboring ˈnā-b(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce neighbor (audio)

transitive verb

: to adjoin immediately or lie relatively near to

intransitive verb

1
: to live or be located as a neighbor
2
: to associate in a neighborly way

Examples of neighbor in a Sentence

Noun We invited our friends and neighbors. Canada is a neighbor of the U.S. Venus is Earth's nearest neighbor. Verb the baseball field neighbors a parking lot
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Like some of its southern African neighbors, Zimbabwe is battling a devastating drought that aid agencies blame on El Niño and climate change. Farai Mutsaka, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 Since the buildings opened, the Police Department has had 762 calls for service there, including calls from Windsor Pointe residents, neighbors, police patrols, follow-up visits and 911 hang-ups, according to Police Chief Mickey Williams. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024 Officers were approached by another neighbor, who alerted them to surveillance video of the child with the gun. Jake Allen, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Mar. 2024 Patrick Scott, 59, admitted to killing Valerie Tindall, his neighbor, in Arlington, Ind. on June 7. Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 One asked the neighbors if Crutchfield and Morby live there; another delivered a shockingly personal gift. Andy Cush, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2024 But Hamid threw himself into camp life, befriending neighbors and smoothing over daily calamities. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Jackson Heights is known for being one of the most culturally diverse areas in the Big Apple, and Zoe touched on this in a video about holiday traditions, speaking their neighbors being from China, Bangladesh, Poland and Colombia. Kaitlin Stevens, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 Anna Parker and her roommates, some of Berry’s neighbors, upgraded their alarm system. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Some non-neighbor friends are appalled. Amy Dickinson, Chicago Tribune, 17 Nov. 2022
Verb
The couple, who had been traveling by motorcycle from the state of West Bengal to neighboring Nepal, were found late Friday by police officers on patrol, said Pitambar Singh Kherwar, superintendent of Dumka district police in Jharkhand state. Vedika Sud, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 According to reports, winds topped 190 mph at Palisades Tahoe just after 10 p.m. Friday night while neighboring Alpine Meadows recorded a gust of 184 mph. Daniel Hunt, Sacramento Bee, 2 Mar. 2024 Further, a study published in May 2023 in JAMA Network Open examining the effects of an attack on a health system found that waiting times, median length of stay, and incidents of patients leaving against medical advice all increased — at neighboring emergency departments. Darius Tahir, CBS News, 29 Feb. 2024 Tanzania had also fought a ruinous war with neighboring Uganda that toppled the dictator Idi Amin but deepened its own economic decline. Alan Cowell, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 While combating prostitution, the crushing influence of neighboring China, and longing for the past glory of her nation under Genghis Khan rule, Gerel was also struggling to raise her son Temuulen on her own. Annika Pham, Variety, 28 Feb. 2024 In fact, an IJ study found that after New Mexico eliminated civil forfeiture, the state saw no spike in its overall crime rate compared to neighboring Colorado and Texas. Andrew Wimer, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Israel launched an attack on neighboring Lebanon on Wednesday, striking various locations in the south that killed at least four civilians and raising the specter of war between the two countries. Andrew jeong, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024 Police used drones to drop tear gas canisters on protestors trying to cross the barrier in the neighboring state of Haryana before marching towards Delhi. Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'neighbor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Adjective, and Verb

Middle English, from Old English nēahgebūr (akin to Old High German nāhgibūr); akin to Old English nēah near and Old English gebūr dweller — more at nigh, boor

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1530, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of neighbor was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near neighbor

Cite this Entry

“Neighbor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neighbor. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

neighbor

1 of 2 noun
neigh·​bor ˈnā-bər How to pronounce neighbor (audio)
1
: a person who lives near another
2
: a person or thing located near another
Canada is a neighbor of the U.S.
3
: a fellow human being

neighbor

2 of 2 verb
neighbored; neighboring
-b(ə-)riŋ
: to be next to or near to
neighboring towns
Etymology

Noun

Old English nēahgebūr "neighbor," from nēah "near" + gebūr "dweller" — related to near, nigh

Word Origin
The words near and nigh are both related to—and have the same meaning as—the Old English word nēah. Another word which can be traced, at least in part, to nēah is neighbor. The combination of nēah, meaning "near," and gebūr, meaning "dweller," produced the Old English word nēahgebūr. This word was used for "a person living near another." The pronunciation and spelling of nēahgebūr has changed over the centuries to give us neighbor, but the word's basic meaning has remained the same.

More from Merriam-Webster on neighbor

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