neighbor

1 of 3

noun

neigh·​bor ˈnā-bər 

1

: one living or located near another

had lunch with her next-door neighbor

2

: fellow man

thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself

—Matthew 19:19 (King James Version)

neighbor

2 of 3

adjective

: being immediately adjoining or relatively near

neighbor

3 of 3

verb

neighbored; neighboring ˈnā-b(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

: to adjoin immediately or lie relatively near to

intransitive verb

1

: to live or be located as a neighbor

2

: to associate in a neighborly way

Synonyms

Verb

• abut
• adjoin
• border (on)
• butt (on or against)
• flank
• fringe
• join
• march (with)
• skirt
• touch
• verge (on)

Example Sentences

Noun

We invited our friends and neighbors.

Canada is a neighbor of the U.S.

Venus is Earth's nearest neighbor.

Verb

the baseball field neighbors a parking lot

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The alleged shooter, Wallace Mannin Kirkland, 59, of Sorrento, Florida, was standing on the side of a road with his wife and their neighbor when another man drove by in a dune buggy, according to an arrest affidavit. —Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 17 May 2023

According to the United Nations, India surpassed its neighbor China, which was previously the world’s most populous nation, in late April. —Jacob Livesay, USA TODAY, 17 May 2023

The canine was living off the generosity of neighbors and scrounging for scraps. —Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 16 May 2023

Over the course of two legs — both held at San Siro — his Inter team swept past its neighbor, rival and housemate, A.C. Milan, to reach its first Champions League final for 13 years. —Andrew Das, New York Times, 16 May 2023

Though close to its neighbors, it’s shrouded in privacy thanks to towering palms and high fences. —Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 16 May 2023

The United States, along with other Western partners, has expressed concern about providing Ukraine with longer-range weapons, wary that Kyiv would use the munitions to strike inside Russia and escalate an already worrying conflict with its nuclear-armed neighbor. —Serhiy Morgunov, Washington Post, 15 May 2023

To keep visitors from disturbing neighbors near the original Lazy Lane entrance, Hogg built a pedestrian suspension bridge over the bayou on the property's secluded west side. —Robin Soslow, Chron, 13 May 2023

Creating the toric code on Google’s processor amounts to forcing each qubit to strictly cooperate with its neighbors by gently nudging them with microwave pulses. —Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 9 May 2023

Adjective

Some non-neighbor friends are appalled. —Amy Dickinson, Chicago Tribune, 17 Nov. 2022

Verb

The shelter is in Rush County, about 45 miles southeast of Indianapolis, In addition, someone left 15 other dogs in neighboring southern Decatur County, the shelter posted on Facebook. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 24 May 2023

In neighboring Porter County, turnout was at 10.6%, according to the Porter County Board of Elections. —Carrie Napoleon, Chicago Tribune, 12 May 2023

In the River Valley, Sebastian County ranked as the 16th wettest in the state while neighboring Crawford County came in 48th wettest. —Tony Reyes, Arkansas Online, 12 May 2023

Both Syria and neighboring Lebanon have become gateways for the drug to the Middle East, and particularly to the the Gulf. —Bassem Mroue And Kareem Chehayeb, BostonGlobe.com, 8 May 2023

His wife told authorities last year that Oropesa was staying with a sister in Conroe, which is in neighboring Montgomery County. —Antonio Planas, NBC News, 3 May 2023

Twice this week, explosions have derailed trains in the Bryansk region neighboring Ukraine. —Haley Willis, New York Times, 3 May 2023

Changes in the region’s balance of power could also upset neighboring Eritrea’s fragile alliances. —Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 28 Apr. 2023

This week, the 22-year-old, who lives in neighboring Guangzhou, visited Hong Kong with a friend to pay tribute to his idol. —Kanis Leung, ajc, 1 Apr. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Adjective, and Verb

Middle English, from Old English nēahgebūr (akin to Old High German nāhgibūr); akin to Old English nēah near and Old English gebūr dweller — more at nigh, boor

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1530, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing neighbor

• next-door neighbor
• good-neighbor
• beggar-thy-neighbor

• next-door neighbor
• good-neighbor
• beggar-thy-neighbor

Kids Definition

neighbor

1 of 2 noun

neigh·​bor ˈnā-bər 

1

: a person who lives near another

2

: a person or thing located near another

Canada is a neighbor of the U.S.

3

: a fellow human being

neighbor

2 of 2 verb

neighbored; neighboring

-b(ə-)riŋ

: to be next to or near to

neighboring towns

Etymology

Noun

Old English nēahgebūr "neighbor," from nēah "near" + gebūr "dweller" — related to near, nigh

Word Origin

The words near and nigh are both related to—and have the same meaning as—the Old English word nēah. Another word which can be traced, at least in part, to nēah is neighbor. The combination of nēah, meaning "near," and gebūr, meaning "dweller," produced the Old English word nēahgebūr. This word was used for "a person living near another." The pronunciation and spelling of nēahgebūr has changed over the centuries to give us neighbor, but the word's basic meaning has remained the same.