: close to
beaches near the city
seemed to be near death
1
a
: not far distant in time, place, or degree
in the near future
b
: almost happening : narrowly missed or avoided
a near win in the primary
a near midair collision
c
: nearly not happening
a near escape
2
: closely related or intimately associated
her nearest and dearest friend
3
a
: being the closer of two
the near side
b
: being the left-hand one of a pair
the near wheel of a cart
5
6
a
: closely resembling the standard or typical
a near desert
b
: approximating the genuine
near silk
nearness
noun
Examples of near in a Sentence
Adverb
The plant was near dead when I got it.
as the campers grew cold, so they gravitated nearer to the campfire
Preposition
I left the box near the door.
The cat won't go near fire.
There are several beaches near here.
She came home near midnight.
We feared he was near death.
Adjective
The nearest grocery store is three blocks away.
The near side headlight is out.
Verb
As the date of the performance neared, we grew more and more anxious.
He always cheers up when baseball season nears.
The airplane began to descend as it neared the island.
He must be nearing 80 years of age.
The negotiators were nearing a decision.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Tuesday’s quake was centered nearer to the Vava’u island group.
—ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
Doug Myers, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
At work, while reporting near a looming tornado, Clark meets Floyd (played with a touching, funny pathos by David Harbour), a sign-language interpreter.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Throughout the festival, experts have spoken about the effect of conglomeration and amalgamation of power by a few uber-wealthy figureheads, and how grassroots movements in journalism can inspire documentarians to survive in the near future.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 20 Mar. 2026
Bloomberg, 26 Mar. 2026
With the rosters set and the games nearing, here’s a look at some 2026 Sox storylines.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for near
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adverb
The resulting disruptions have ground some airports to a near-halt, while others contend with security lines that snake out into parking lots and last upward of four hours.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Tuesday’s quake was centered nearer to the Vava’u island group.
—ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
Preposition
Recent gas line strikes heighten concern The incident comes just two days after two separate natural gas line strikes elsewhere in Lake Dallas triggered major closures and evacuations near City Hall.
—Doug Myers, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
At work, while reporting near a looming tornado, Clark meets Floyd (played with a touching, funny pathos by David Harbour), a sign-language interpreter.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Admittedly, seeing your nearest rival win the title when your team is in a relegation battle does not sound like fun.
—Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Throughout the festival, experts have spoken about the effect of conglomeration and amalgamation of power by a few uber-wealthy figureheads, and how grassroots movements in journalism can inspire documentarians to survive in the near future.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
The war, now nearing the one-month mark, has raised concerns about inflation and slowing industrial activity across the world, clouding the demand outlook for metals.
—Bloomberg, 26 Mar. 2026
With the rosters set and the games nearing, here’s a look at some 2026 Sox storylines.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for near
Cite this Entry
“Near.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/near. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
near
1 of 4 adverb1
: at, within, or to a short distance or time
night was drawing near
2
: in a condition or state resembling or close to : almost
near dead
3
: nearly sense 1
near related
near
2 of 4 preposition(ˈ)ni(ə)r
: close to
standing near the door
near
3 of 4 adjectiveˈni(ə)r
1
: closely related or associated
her nearest and dearest friend
2
a
: not far away
the near future
b
: barely avoided
a near disaster
c
: almost not happening
a near victory
3
: being the closer of two
the near side of a hill
4
: direct entry 2 sense 1, short
the nearest route
5
: closely resembling a model or a genuine example
near silk
nearness
noun
near
4 of 4 verbˈni(ə)r
: to come near : approach
the ship was nearing the dock
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
