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

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

The threequel currently has the best reviews in the trilogy with 88% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and a near-best audience score of 96%, just behind New Era’s 97%. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2025

In this way, cosmic dust behaves as a very efficient absorber of visible light, is only lightly absorbed by near-infrared light, and is practically perfectly transparent to mid-infrared (and longer) wavelengths of light. —Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 12 Sep. 2025

Preposition

One day before the latest violation, a ministry spokesperson said there had been approximately 50 attacks involving Russian drones on Ukrainian territory near Romania’s borders to date, of which 30 saw drone debris falling on Romanian territory. —David Brennan, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2025

As the Dodgers challenged the call, Melvin and assistant athletic trainer Ryo Watanabe met Smith near first base to assess Smith’s health. —Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 14 Sep. 2025

Adjective

It’s expected to show up in the near future in the iPad Pro, but should Tim Cook and his team consider another destination? —Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025

Ladapo’s potent derision of vaccine mandates sparked a near-instant deluge of reaction and vigorous disagreement, including from infectious disease experts. —Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025

Verb

Lawmakers charged through dozens of bills as the legislative session neared a close late Friday night, and had to reconvene Saturday to pass a wide-ranging climate and energy deal that came through late in the week. —Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2025

The killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December sparked a firestorm of debate, with donations for alleged assassin Luigi Mangione nearing $1 million ahead of his first court hearing in April. —Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 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