neighbor

noun neigh·bor \ ˈnā-bər \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

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

Police were called just before 11 p.m. to the 4400 block of Southeast 99th Avenue, where neighbors described a man firing a semiautomatic rifle into a home.

— elliot njus, OregonLive.com, "Man arrested after shooting house, people with air rifle in SE Portland, police say," 10 Apr. 2018
With the total current donation of $218,008, Jersey Mike's has provided 654,024 meals to neighbors in need in the food bank's 18-county coverage area in southeast Texas.

— staff report, Houston Chronicle, "Jersey Mike's Subs partners with food bank to help Harvey victims," 9 Apr. 2018
The project last year received some pushback from neighbors over its expanding budget and planned location at Behrman Park.

— jennifer larino, NOLA.com, "See plans for a new, public indoor pool in Behrman Park in Algiers," 9 Apr. 2018
Turkey, Syria's northern neighbor, extended its ground operations into Syria, fearing the conflict could embolden Turkey's large population of Kurds to demand independence.

— kim hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, "Syria conflict explained: What's at stake after latest gas attack," 9 Apr. 2018
Here's what an old graphic used to look like: Specifically designed for those behind-the-scenes moments when the designers aren't around, but the neighbors are freaking out.

— lauren smith, Good Housekeeping, "5 "Trading Spaces" Premiere Moments You Definitely Missed," 8 Apr. 2018
Bruce and Dana DeKalb, the family's next-door neighbors in Woodland, Washington, called child welfare officials last month because the couple's 15-year-old son, Devonte, had been coming to their house almost every day for a week, asking for food.

— Fox News, "Body suspected to be from California cliff crash found," 7 Apr. 2018
Many of the names match the neighbors to the family in 1910.

— The Root, "Tracing Your Roots: Why Did My Family Bury the Past?," 6 Apr. 2018
That includes three next-door neighbors who will be featured on the eighth annual Gardens Gone Native Tour on April 14.

— debbie arrington, sacbee, "On this tour, neighbors go native and take it easy | The Sacramento Bee," 6 Apr. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

neighbor

adjective

: being immediately adjoining or relatively near

Origin and Etymology of neighbor

see ¹neighbor

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1530

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

neighbor

verb

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

Asked about the Kentucky measure's potential effectiveness, Carroll pointed to anti-gang initiatives in neighboring cities such as the Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence, which targeted gang members in high crime areas.

— phillip m. bailey, The Courier-Journal, "ACLU of Kentucky and Louisville Urban League want to protect gang members, lobbyist says," 12 Apr. 2018
And at these latitudes, the snowpack—well above normal for this banner season and drier than neighboring British Columbia—will hold well into May. Everything is bigger and stretches further in Alberta, including your U.S. dollar.

— katie arnold, Outside Online, "Banff's Top Family Adventures," 11 Apr. 2018
The home builder is currently evaluating what ecological impact the housing development could have on the neighboring forest preserve land.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Naperville council open to homes being built on part of Nokia land," 10 Apr. 2018
From neighboring Pearson-Arastradero Preserve, visitors can now get access by hiking in on a gateway trail.

— tom stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "Sunday drive to Pearson-Arastradero Preserve," 8 Apr. 2018
Forward Jordan Martinook, who grew up in the neighboring province of Manitoba, sent out a tweet late Friday night.

— richard morin, azcentral, "Coyotes part of grieving hockey community following Humboldt bus tragedy," 7 Apr. 2018
Beirut is expected to request up to $22 billion for an eight to 12 year investment program, hoping that an influx of cash will help revive the economy, which has been hammered by political unrest and spillover from the war in neighboring Syria.

— Washington Post, "Lebanon seeks funds for troubled economy at Paris conference," 5 Apr. 2018
Lebanon hopes an influx of cash will help revive the economy, which has been hammered by political unrest and spillover from the war in neighboring Syria.

— bassem mroue, Fox News, "Lebanon seeks funds for troubled economy at Paris conference," 5 Apr. 2018
Lebanese officials hope the results are positive, as tourist arrivals climb to levels last seen in 2010, before the uprising in neighboring Syria the following year raised fears of violent spillover.

— philip issa, USA TODAY, "Emirates sends A380 superjumbo to Beirut, spurring hope of tourism revival," 3 Apr. 2018