: 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
Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2025
Combs’ request for no more than 14 months in prison would essentially amount to a sentence of time served and ensure his near-immediate release.
—Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
After just a few minutes on each arm, the soreness had noticeably decreased, and my arms looked more defined and less puffy, especially near the underarm area where water retention tends to settle.
—Francesca Krempa, StyleCaster, 4 Oct. 2025
James Boyd, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Smith thrives in high-risk, high-reward environments, so the Axon board granted Smith a near carbon copy of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s moonshot pay plan but on a much smaller scale.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2025
Matt Gelb, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
The attack, which took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, comes amid a sharp rise in anti-Semitic assaults in the US and Europe as the Israel-Hamas war nears the two-year mark.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 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
While this is a snapshot of how things are expected to look in the future, a one month outlook and subsequent weeks’ and days’ forecast will give a better look at what to expect as the date grows near, according to the NWS.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2025
Combs’ request for no more than 14 months in prison would essentially amount to a sentence of time served and ensure his near-immediate release.
—Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
Preposition
His offense has cooled somewhat, but Thomson placed Bader near the bottom of the lineup to help provide some spark when the lineup turned over.
—Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
After just a few minutes on each arm, the soreness had noticeably decreased, and my arms looked more defined and less puffy, especially near the underarm area where water retention tends to settle.
—Francesca Krempa, StyleCaster, 4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
But after a 4-1 start, with Daniel Jones playing at a near-MVP level, running back Jonathan Taylor looking like an early favorite to win NFL Offensive Player of the Year and the new-look defense generating eight turnovers in five weeks, this no longer feels like an anomaly.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Smith thrives in high-risk, high-reward environments, so the Axon board granted Smith a near carbon copy of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s moonshot pay plan but on a much smaller scale.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2025
Verb
The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated a two-game lead over the Phillies in the National League Division Series, and as Turner neared the dugout steps, the anger returned.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
The attack, which took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, comes amid a sharp rise in anti-Semitic assaults in the US and Europe as the Israel-Hamas war nears the two-year mark.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 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 7 Oct. 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