next to

1 of 2

preposition

1

: immediately following or adjacent to

2

: in comparison to

next to you I'm wealthy

next to

2 of 2

adverb

: very nearly : almost

it was next to impossible to see in the fog

Synonyms

Preposition

• near
• around
• next door to
• beside
• by
• at

Adverb

• almost
• nearly
• practically
• just about
• fairly
• about
• pretty much

Examples of next to in a Sentence

Preposition

enjoys living next to the ocean

next to the war, the flagging economy was the biggest campaign issue

Adverb

bought it for next to nothing

Recent Examples on the Web

Preposition

The woman next to me appeared lost in her thoughts. —Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2025

Third, stand next to the president while making the pledge. —Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025

Adverb

Adding Alonso next to Aaron Judge would be nightmare fuel for American League East pitchers. —Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025

The center is located next to the backside's basketball court, newly paved and repainted. —Stephanie Kuzydym, The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Preposition

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1596, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for next to

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou

Kids Definition

next to

1 of 2 preposition

: immediately following : being close to

next to the head of her class

next to

2 of 2 adverb

: very nearly : almost