next

1 of 4

adjective

1
: immediately adjacent (as in place, rank, or time)
2
: any other considered hypothetically
knew it as well as the next man

see also next to nothing

next

2 of 4

preposition

: nearest or adjacent to

next

3 of 4

adverb

1
: in the time, place, or order nearest or immediately succeeding
next we drove home
the next closest school
2
: on the first occasion to come
when next we meet

next

4 of 4

noun

: one that is next
from one day to the next

Examples of next in a Sentence

Adjective I'll see you next Monday. Next year's party will be even better. the very next thing that happened Can I help the next person in line? Who's next? We could hear people talking in the next room. At the next set of lights, turn left. I need the next size up. The next time we will see each other will be on our wedding day. Next time, please remember to bring your books to class. She knew the answer as well as the next person. Adverb Next, I need to ask you a few questions about your family.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Easter is on the early side this year (next Sunday), but there’s still time to decorate your home with festive pieces to embrace the holiday. Bridget Degnan, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024 The companies have indicated the merger could close as soon as early next week. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024 At the far rear of the lot lies a a big grassy lawn that could easily accommodate a future sports court and small guesthouse, should the next owner choose to add them. James McClain, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2024 See Camden Walker’s forecast through the beginning of next week. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 The last total eclipse visible in Ohio was in 1806, and the next one won't occur until 2099. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 22 Mar. 2024 The next evening, the showcase pivoted in another, no less-potent, direction, mixing up hip-hop with innovative sounds from Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, and more. Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2024 Both teams won their first games and met the next night in the final. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2024 The California resident wasn’t found until the next morning by her roommate, who had just returned to their residence. Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, 10 Mar. 2024
Preposition
The Hamilton County Democratic Central Committee, a group made up of about 300 Democrats, will take up the issue of replacing Kelly at its meeting next month, Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairwoman Gwen McFarlin said. Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 23 Mar. 2024 The ratification vote will take place some time next week, with the exact time still to be determined. Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2024 Delta has orders for 100 Max 10 planes and options to purchase 30 more, and had expected to begin receiving the planes next year. Mary Schlangenstein, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024 His seven-date east coast run started Monday (March 4) at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne and wraps next Thursday, March 14 at Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney. Lars Brandle, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024 Up next the PacWest Conference tournament, which PLNU will host. Staff and Wire Reports, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024 The state House and Senate are expected to complete their review of the bill next month. Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 The club will also complement the Center City entertainment district, which is gearing up for the opening of the new arena next month, and give the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority another selling point. Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 The administration hopes to announce a decision next month. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024
Adverb
On Monday, Gauff will next face Caroline Garcia, who ousted Naomi Osaka in straight sets Sunday. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2024 Up next: The Current return home to CPKC Stadium on Saturday, facing Angel City FC at 2:30 p.m. Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2024 Data stored in a computer’s memory have addresses, and DMP’s optimize the computer’s operations by predicting the address of data that is likely to be accessed next. Andrew Couts, WIRED, 23 Mar. 2024 Caitlin Clark's first March Madness opponent is set: Holy Cross is up next after a First Four blowout. USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024 Wilson is coming off season two of Loki at Disney+ and will next star in the thriller Lips Like Sugar with Woody Harrelson. Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 Image The program gets store managers thinking not only about what comes next for them, but also about how to keep the people reporting to them engaged and finding other opportunities in the company for them. Jordyn Holman, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Al Ain, chasing its first AFC Champions League title in 21 years, will next face another Saudi Arabian team – either Al-Hilal or Al-Ittihad – in the semifinals. George Ramsay, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 Nearly three decades later, the same people who paid for a PSL at the franchise’s birth are the same who are contemplating what to do next. Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
One sport to the next sees what the other has done and wants some of the same stuff. Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas News, 8 Mar. 2023 So bouncing from one tone and genre to the next creates a whiplash effect, even though some of the episodes — that fourth one in particular — are quite good. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2023 The numbers are higher globally: One-quarter of consumers intend to buy an EV next. Stephen Wilmot, WSJ, 11 Mar. 2022 Because the multi-racial categories are relatively new to the census and have changed since they were introduced, an apples-to-apples comparison of data collected from one census year to the next becomes complicated, if not impossible. Hannah Drown, cleveland, 21 Aug. 2021 Your organization should have a plan for how to manage the alarm in the foreseeable future — in the new next. Curtis Odom, Forbes, 7 June 2021 For so many others, there is no longer a something-to-do-next. Ai Weiwei, The Atlantic, 2 June 2020 The liminal spaces that represent transitions between one point in time and the next are needed even more today, during turmoil and stay-at-home orders caused by the coronavirus, say proponents. oregonlive, 28 Apr. 2020 On Thursday, one plane after the next was landing at an American Airlines facility in Tulsa. David Gelles, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'next.' 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

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English nīehst, superlative of nēah nigh — more at nigh

First Known Use

Adjective

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

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near next

Cite this Entry

“Next.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/next. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

next

1 of 3 adjective
: coming immediately before or following
the next page
the house next to ours

next

2 of 3 preposition
(ˈ)nekst

next

3 of 3 adverb
ˈnekst
1
: in the nearest time, place, or order following
open this package next
2
: at the first time to come after this
when next we meet

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