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 plane crashed in a field next to Iotla Valley Elementary School at 3. —Jordan King shane Croucher john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025

The Arvada Police Department arrested a 41-year-old man in connection with the discovery of a 29-year-old woman’s body inside of a black box next to a dumpster near an apartment building. —Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025

Adverb

Local authorities in Hong Kong said three people were rescued from the sea after a five-year-old boy and a woman were swept away by waves next to a harbor in Chai Wan, an eastern district of Hong Kong island, on Tuesday afternoon. —Helen Regan, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025

Gà Thượng Hải Between a tangle of freeway overpasses, next to a gas station, is one of the few Vietnamese restaurants in Houston specializing in poultry. —Bao Ong, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 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