near

adverb \ ˈnir \

Definition of near

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

See near defined for English-language learners

See near defined for kids

Examples of near in a Sentence

The plant was near dead when I got it.
as the campers grew cold, so they gravitated nearer to the campfire

Recent Examples of near from the Web

The hurricane center said the deepest water will be near and northeast of where Harvey makes landfall.

— leigh morgan, AL.com, "Tropical Storm Harvey strengthens as hurricane warning issued for Texas," 24 Aug. 2017
Kevin and Teryl kept their phones near at all times, with the ringer turned to its full volume.

— alden woods, azcentral, "$200 from home: Renters in the housing crisis are often stuck between help and affordability," 17 Aug. 2017
The Fujiwara Effect is most commonly visible across the Pacific, and occurs when two or more tropical systems draw sufficiently near to interrupt each other’s traditional outflow/inflow pattern.

— matthew cappucci, Washington Post, "The science behind this strange dance between hurricanes Hilary and Irwin," 31 July 2017
The perfect ingredients to a Cubs-White Sox game were all on display Tuesday at Wrigley Field, making for a near-perfect afternoon.

— paul sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "Another crazy day in the City Series, the gift that keeps on giving," 25 July 2017
Their share of industrial assets hovers stubbornly near 40%.

— The Economist, "Unnatural selectionChina’s state enterprises are not retreating but advancing," 20 July 2017
HOUSTON — To close out a near-perfect road trip and win a series against the team with the best record and best offense in the American League, the Mariners turned to their best pitcher and budding ace, James Paxton.

— ryan divish, The Seattle Times, "James Paxton shuts down Astros as Mariners cap 5-1 road trip," 19 July 2017
Nick is also seeking all-important insight about what new and innovative stage entertainment ideas await in the future and sure to attract audiences near and far.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "Broadway Bard spoof 'Something Rotten' is something really funny," 18 July 2017
Brown was pulled over near near Liberty Street and Commons Drive, where the office also found him to driving without insurance or valid registration, Naperville police Cmdr.

— bill bird, Naperville Sun, "Man had 47 counterfeit credit cards during Naperville stop, police say," 11 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'near.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of near

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

near Synonyms

Synonyms

around, by, close, hard, in, nearby, nigh, at close quarters, at hand, on one's doorstep, within call

Antonyms

exactly, precisely

Related Words

hereabouts (or hereabout), hereaway (or hereaways) [dialect], thereabouts (also thereabout); along, alongside; accessibly, conveniently, handily

Near Antonyms

distantly, remotely

near

preposition

Definition of near

:close to

beaches near the city

seemed to be near death

See near defined for English-language learners

Examples of near in a Sentence

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.

Origin and Etymology of near

see ¹near

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

near Synonyms

Synonyms

about, by, around, next to, nigh

Related Words

alongside, beside; across, along, at; circa; toward (or towards)

near

adjective

Definition of near

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

See near defined for English-language learners

Examples of near in a Sentence

The nearest grocery store is three blocks away.
The near side headlight is out.

Recent Examples of near from the Web

Those do not appear likely to gain traction in the near future.

— miriam jordan, New York Times, "‘Dreamer’ Plan That Aided 800,000 Immigrants Is Threatened," 27 Aug. 2017
A traditional hero, one who seems attractive and healthy, would simply mount the nearest horse and ride off into the sunset.

— heather havrilesky, The Cut, "‘I’m Obsessed With the Co-worker I Hooked Up With!’," 23 Aug. 2017
Even Jon's near-death experience during last season's Battle of the Bastards—which cost his brother Rickon his life—

— julie kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Even a Major Twist Couldn't Save This Week's Episode of Game of Thrones," 22 Aug. 2017
The 18-year-old Harford Community College student later described a mix of emotions upon seeing the near-total eclipse.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Excited Harford County residents gather to view Monday's solar eclipse," 22 Aug. 2017
Minkin thinks apps like Natural Cycles would be appropriate for couples who plan to conceive in the near future, so wouldn’t be upset with an ‘

— emily matchar, Smithsonian, "Apps Can Help You Get Pregnant. But Should You Use Them As a Contraceptive?," 22 Aug. 2017
It’s unclear if North Korea’s nearest neighbors, China and Russia will enforce the sanctions.

— veronica hilbring, Essence.com, "Threats, Missiles And A Lot Of Embarrassment: What You Need To Know About Trump And North Korea," 10 Aug. 2017
While ignoring a near tripling of the stock market under Obama, Trump is crowing about the 20 percent rise that has occurred in the D.J.I.A. since his election.

— william d. cohan, vanityfair.com, "How the Stock Market Will Cripple Donald Trump," 4 Aug. 2017
The new dinosaur, described by paleontologist Junchang Lü and colleagues, is known from a near-complete skeleton uncovered in Ganzhou, China.

— brian switek, Scientific American Blog Network, "Paleo Profile: The Crested Thief," 4 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of near

see ¹near

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

near Synonyms

Synonyms

closer, hither, nigher, this

Antonyms

far, farther, further, opposite, other, that

Related Words

fore, forward, front, inside

Near Antonyms

distant, remote, remoter; back, outside

near

verb

Definition of near

:approach

See near defined for English-language learners

Examples of near in a Sentence

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 of near from the Web

Before then, partly to mostly sunny skies should help temperatures to near 90 to the low 90s again, with humidity creeping a bit higher.

— dan stillman, Washington Post, "D.C.-area forecast: Moderate heat and humidity, with an isolated storm here and there," 2 Aug. 2017
That IS is nearing its end in the Middle East should not be misconstrued.

— The Economist, "Winning the war with IS in the Philippines, but losing the peace," 20 July 2017
Take The Walking Dead, the AMC series that is nearing its eighth season.

— erin blakemore, Longreads, "Our Zombies, Ourselves: An Undead Reading List," 20 July 2017
July 21 Festival of the Lakes Golf Scramble nearsThe 14th annual Festival of the Lakes Golf Scramble will take place July 21 at Lost Marsh Golf Course, 1001 129th St., Hammond.

— Post-Tribune, "Community calendar," 7 July 2017
After the transparent canopy closes, prepare to hit surface-level speeds up to 55 mph and underwater velocities nearing 25 mph.

— michael benninger, Pacific San Diego Magazine, "The f#ck-it list: Things to do before you die," 3 July 2017
The European Union and Japan were nearing a trade deal, the two sides said over the weekend, but there were still gaps to overcome as two of the U.S.’ biggest economic competitors look to bolster international commerce.

— laurence norman, WSJ, "EU, Japan Push Toward Trade Deal," 1 July 2017
No new nuclear power plants are being proposed in this country, and many of the existing ones have been slated for closure or are nearing the end of their operational life.

— joshua emerson smith, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Why today's Americans have less fear and loathing about nuclear power," 1 July 2017
A U.S. Air Force fighter shot down an Iranian drone that was nearing friendly forces.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "U.S. F-15 Shoots Down Yet Another Iran-Made Drone," 20 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of near

see ¹near

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1522

See Words from the same year

near Synonyms

Synonyms

belly up, close, close in, come up, draw on, approach, nigh

Antonyms

back (up or away), recede, retire, retreat, withdraw

Related Words

arrive, attain, come, gain, hit, land, make, reach, show up, turn up, waltz up; creep up, sneak up; adjoin, border, touch, verge

Near Antonyms

clear out, depart, exit, go, leave, light out, pull out, quit, remove, run away, shove (off), take off, walk out

NEAR Defined for English Language Learners

near

adverb

Definition of near for English Language Learners

: close to someone or something in distance
: not far away in time
: almost or nearly

near

preposition

Definition of near for English Language Learners

: close to (something or someone)

near

adjective

Definition of near for English Language Learners

: located a short distance away
: not far away in time
—used to refer to the side, end, etc., that is closer

near

verb

Definition of near for English Language Learners

: to come closer in space or time to someone or something

NEAR Defined for Kids

near

adverb \ ˈnir \

Definition of near for Students

nearer; nearest

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

Don't go any nearer.

Night drew near.

2 :almost, nearly

The weather was near perfect.

near

preposition

Definition of near for Students

:close to

We'll take a table near the window.

near

adjective

Definition of near for Students

nearer; nearest

1 :closely related or associated

a near relative

2 :not far away in distance or time

the nearest exit

the near future

3 :coming close :narrow

a near miss

4 :being the closer of two

the near side

—

nearness

noun

near

verb

Definition of near for Students

neared; nearing

:to come near :approach

As they neared the burrow Willie … came galloping toward them …
—Robert Lawson, Rabbit Hill

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