near

1 of 4

adverb

ˈnir 

1

: at, within, or to a short distance or time

sunset was drawing near

2

: almost, nearly

was near dead

3

: in a close or intimate manner : closely

near related

4

archaic : in a frugal manner

near

2 of 4

preposition

: close to

beaches near the city

seemed to be near death

near

3 of 4

adjective

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

4

: direct, short

the nearest road

5

: stingy, closefisted

6

a

: closely resembling the standard or typical

a near desert

b

: approximating the genuine

near silk

nearness noun

near

4 of 4

verb

neared; nearing; nears

: approach

Synonyms of near

Adverb

• close
• in
• nearby

Preposition

• around
• beside
• at

Adjective

• closer

Verb

• close
• come
• approach

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

Adverb

While the water is technically heated to near-boiling temperatures to brew coffee and tea, that’s not always enough to guarantee safety, especially when altitude changes the boiling point. —Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 19 Dec. 2025

Yet, at one and the same time, focusing on first and second features, Meeting Point prize monies was near doubled to $45,000 for distributors of its winning films. —John Hopewell, Variety, 19 Dec. 2025

Preposition

Nearly a dozen residents, including children, were displaced by an early-morning apartment fire near downtown Fort Worth on Saturday. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Dec. 2025

In April, a man, along with two 9-year-old girls, died in a fiery accident after taking off from a traffic stop on I-695 near Greenspring Avenue. —Andrew Adeolu, CBS News, 21 Dec. 2025

Adjective

Once viewed as a near impossible feat in the most brutal conditions achieved only by the most daring, climbing Mount Everest has shifted from a symbol of ultimate adventure to something mere mortals can accomplish - and take a summit selfie to prove it. —Cecilia Vega, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025

Four first-half lead changes saw Cincy up 17-14 at the break Sunday, though Ewers was a near flawless 10 of 12 for 109 yards. —Miami Herald, 21 Dec. 2025

Verb

Stranger Things nears its climactic ending with the launch of the first trailer for season 5's Volume 2 batch of episodes. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025

Google’s SpaceX gain Google parent Alphabet is poised to record another gain as the value of SpaceX nears $800 billion. —Diane Brady, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adverb, Preposition, Adjective, and Verb

Middle English ner, partly from ner nearer, from Old English nēar, comparative of nēah nigh; partly from Old Norse nær nearer, comparative of nā- nigh — more at nigh

First Known Use

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1522, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing near

• anything near
• as far/near as I can tell
• as near as dammit
• as near as damn it
• (as) near as someone can tell/figure
• close/dear/near to one's heart
• damn near
• darn near
• draw near
• draw near/nigh
• far and near
• from far and near
• from near and far
• near and dear
• near and dear to her heart
• near at hand
• near beer
• near completion
• near-death experience
• near field communication
• near gale
• near-infrared
• near miss
• near money
• near point
• near relation
• near the mark
• near the wind
• near thing
• near-ultraviolet
• nowhere near
• pretty near/nearly
• too near for comfort

Rhymes for near

• beer
• bier
• cheer
• clear
• dear
• deer
• drear
• ear
• fear
• fier
• gear
• hear

Kids Definition

near

1 of 4 adverb

ˈni(ə)r 

1

: 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 adjective

ˈni(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 verb

ˈni(ə)r

: to come near : approach

the ship was nearing the dock

Etymology

Adverb

Old English nēar "nearer," comparative form of nēah "near, close" — related to neighbor, nigh see Word History at neighbor