: 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
Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 10 May 2026
The surface also lies beneath 90 bars of pressure, almost 100 times greater than that of sea level on Earth, from a smothering sky filled with near-pure carbon dioxide and laced with corrosive sulfuric acid rain.
—Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 10 May 2026
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 12 May 2026
As a quick aside, Kenny Atkinson put in his third string near the end of the game and the Pistons cut a sizable deficit down to eight points with about 50 seconds left.
—Darnell Mayberry, New York Times, 12 May 2026
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 May 2026
The print weakened the case for a near-term rate cut because of the labor market's resilience.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 9 May 2026
Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
The record is nearing completion with about a dozen tracks already slated.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 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
Huntington Beach battled in the first two sets but wound up being swept by Mira Costa and outside hitter Mateo Fuerbringer, who played a near-perfect match in the 25-22, 25-19, 25-13 victory over Saturday at Huntington Beach High School.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 10 May 2026
The surface also lies beneath 90 bars of pressure, almost 100 times greater than that of sea level on Earth, from a smothering sky filled with near-pure carbon dioxide and laced with corrosive sulfuric acid rain.
—Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 10 May 2026
Preposition
The last 24 passengers still on board the MV Hondius are set to be evacuated on Monday afternoon from the cruise ship, now anchored near Spain's Atlantic island of Tenerife, according to Spanish authorities coordinating the evacuations.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 12 May 2026
As a quick aside, Kenny Atkinson put in his third string near the end of the game and the Pistons cut a sizable deficit down to eight points with about 50 seconds left.
—Darnell Mayberry, New York Times, 12 May 2026
Adjective
The Iowa State product looks every bit of a near 6-foot-9 measurement, and started at right tackle for rookie units in 11-on-11 team periods.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 May 2026
The print weakened the case for a near-term rate cut because of the labor market's resilience.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 9 May 2026
Verb
As the execution nears, USA TODAY is looking back at the crime, who Cindy was and how Hitchcock has been able to avoid his death sentence for so long.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
The record is nearing completion with about a dozen tracks already slated.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 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 12 May. 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
