neighbor

noun neigh·bor \ ˈnā-bər \

Definition of neighbor

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)

See neighbor defined for English-language learners

See neighbor defined for kids

Examples of neighbor in a Sentence

We invited our friends and neighbors.
Canada is a neighbor of the U.S.
Venus is Earth's nearest neighbor.

Recent Examples of neighbor from the Web

Meet Your Neighbors: Feminine & LGBTQ+ Perspectives Exhibition.

— The Courier-Journal, "30 must-see art exhibits Sept. 3-9 in Louisville," 30 Aug. 2017
But the men quickly drove off as neighbors began to gather, drawn by the commotion.

— david ovalle, miamiherald, "Racing pigeons and murder: A Miami trial casts spotlight on niche sport," 29 Aug. 2017
Their lifestyle is at odds with their Republican-leaning neighbors in the heart of the Missouri Bible Belt.

— max londberg, kansascity, "Morning Rush: EJ’s Urban Eatery opens Tuesday; Trump’s Missouri event closed to public," 29 Aug. 2017
North Korea fired a missile on Tuesday, launching it over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean, which comes as the latest in a series of test launches that have increased tension among North Korea, its neighbors, and the United States.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Protesters Want a Statue Taken Down of a Doctor Who Surgically Experimented on Female Slaves," 29 Aug. 2017
Neighbors scrambled to help the couple, eventually deciding to move the impromptu delivery room to an apartment on a higher floor to avoid the floodwaters.

— lisa ryan, The Cut, "Woman in Labor Saved From Houston Floodwaters After Neighbors Form Human Chain," 29 Aug. 2017
Her 6-year-old son found Gonzales on the kitchen floor and took his younger siblings to a neighbor's house for help, police said.

— michelle l. quinn, Post-Tribune, "15-year-old arrested in stabbing death, two rapes in Hammond: police," 28 Aug. 2017
In light of the annexation of the Crimea and Russian military intimidation of its neighbors, the Second Cavalry could now be called upon to reinforce NATO allies in the Baltics—

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Army Is Getting Deadlier Stryker Armored Vehicles to Protect Europe From Russia," 22 Aug. 2017
Still, residents have worked to improve the area and have come to rely on tight networks of neighbors.

— john diedrich, jsonline.com, "'No face, no case': How one man tried to permanently silence the witnesses to his crimes," 18 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of neighbor

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

neighbor

adjective

Definition of neighbor

:being immediately adjoining or relatively near

Origin and Etymology of neighbor

see ¹neighbor

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1530

See Words from the same year

neighbor

verb

Definition of neighbor

neighbored; neighboring play \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

Examples of neighbor in a Sentence

the baseball field neighbors a parking lot

Recent Examples of neighbor from the Web

Neighboring residents are concerned that a big box store would bring in more traffic, potential crime, and increase the flooding that's already experienced in that area.

— karen brainard, Ramona Sentinel, "Group encourages teamwork on Hagey property proposal," 30 Aug. 2017
How many times has St. Petersburg changed its name, reflecting each generation’s love or hate or indifference to czarist Russia or neighboring Germany?

— victor davis hanson, National Review, "Our War against Memory," 22 Aug. 2017
By comparing the data with a study of the nearby Ducie and Oeno atolls conducted in 1991, the team extrapolated that there is between 200 and 2,000 times more trash on Henderson now than there was on those neighboring islands back then.

— jesse greenspan, Scientific American, "Uninhabited Island Reveals Scope of the World's Plastic Problem," 24 July 2017
When neighboring communities began complaining about bad air and water, the petrochemical companies—as is presently happening in Mossville—began buying them out.

— justin nobel, Longreads, "The Louisiana Environmental Apocalypse Road Trip," 13 July 2017
Ukranian President Petro Poroshenko also blamed the 2016 outage on Russia and alleged that the neighboring country was waging a cyber-war, the BBC reported.

— kaitlyn schallhorn, Fox News, "WannaCry ransomware attack: A look at other major cyber breaches, hackings," 10 July 2017
In May, arrivals in neighboring Uganda topped 1,500 a day.

— conor gaffey, MSNBC Newsweek, "The Devastating Human Cost of Famine in South Sudan," 4 July 2017
Compare that to Baghdad's 138 B1/B2s issued that same month, or the 1,492 issued at the same time in neighboring Pakistan, and the records suggest the girls' try was a long shot.

— laura beck, Cosmopolitan, "Afghanistan's All-Girl Robotics Team Denied Entry to U.S.," 2 July 2017
In addition to the heavy damage at Colonial Cleaners, 1761 Morthland Ave., neighboring Salon Diva, 1759 Morthland Drive,

— amy lavalley, Post-Tribune, "Valparaiso fire official lauds assistance; businesses survey damage at Thornapple Plaza," 14 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of neighbor

see ¹neighbor

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1586

See Words from the same year

neighbor Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Related Words

attach (to), communicate (with), connect (with), link (with); bound, embrace, encircle, enclose (also inclose), fence, line, margin, rim, surround; contact, converge, meet

NEIGHBOR Defined for English Language Learners

neighbor

noun

Definition of neighbor for English Language Learners

: a person who lives next to or near another person
: a person or thing that is next to or near another

NEIGHBOR Defined for Kids

neighbor

noun neigh·bor \ ˈnā-bər \

Definition of neighbor for Students

1 :a person living near another

2 :a person, animal, or thing located near some other person, animal, or thing

The house's nearest neighbor is a church.

neighbor

verb

Definition of neighbor for Students

neighbored; neighboring

:to be near or next to

—

neighboring

adjective

Learn More about neighbor

See words that rhyme with neighbor Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for neighbor Spanish Central: Translation of neighbor Nglish: Translation of neighbor for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of neighbor for Arabic speakers

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neighbor

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Examples of neighbor in a Sentence

Recent Examples of neighbor from the Web

Origin and Etymology of neighbor

neighbor

Definition of neighbor

Origin and Etymology of neighbor

neighbor

Definition of neighbor

Examples of neighbor in a Sentence

Recent Examples of neighbor from the Web

Origin and Etymology of neighbor

neighbor Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Phrases Related to NEIGHBOR

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NEIGHBOR Defined for English Language Learners

neighbor

Definition of neighbor for English Language Learners

NEIGHBOR Defined for Kids

neighbor

Definition of neighbor for Students

neighbor

Definition of neighbor for Students

neighboring

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