: 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
Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 14 Nov. 2025
The Chinese weather satellite was moving in a near vertical polar orbit 537 miles up, so its remains are still flying free.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 14 Nov. 2025
Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Nov. 2025
In the following days, authorities also located video surveillance that disproved James' alibi of walking their dog, while also finding footage of someone with his build running near the scene of the crime.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 15 Nov. 2025
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Nov. 2025
Rounding cash purchases to the nearest 10 cents rather than the nearest 5 cents could cause additional problems.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 16 Nov. 2025
Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 10 Nov. 2025
The directive comes as an administrative pause on the funding order nears expiration.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
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
With countries near and far upping their offers, Estonia is looking to keep itself competitive.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 14 Nov. 2025
The Chinese weather satellite was moving in a near vertical polar orbit 537 miles up, so its remains are still flying free.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 14 Nov. 2025
Preposition
He's spent years volunteering in the community and helped restore a historic firehouse near downtown's charming Main Street.
—Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Nov. 2025
In the following days, authorities also located video surveillance that disproved James' alibi of walking their dog, while also finding footage of someone with his build running near the scene of the crime.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 15 Nov. 2025
Adjective
It’s designed to operate in near-shore environments and can sprint at speeds over 50 mph, reported Times of San Diego.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Nov. 2025
Rounding cash purchases to the nearest 10 cents rather than the nearest 5 cents could cause additional problems.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 16 Nov. 2025
Verb
As the government shutdown nears a possible resolution, flight disruptions continue nationwide due to FAA capacity cuts and staffing shortages.
—Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 10 Nov. 2025
The directive comes as an administrative pause on the funding order nears expiration.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for near
Cite this Entry
“Near.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/near. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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
Share