1
: immediately following or adjacent to
2
: in comparison to
next to you I'm wealthy
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
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2025
In particular, the Pacers’ lack of a real starting center could open the door for extensive Walker minutes as a frontcourt reserve — either by playing backup center himself or by playing Toppin as a small-ball center and running Walker next to him.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 8 Oct. 2025
Double-big lineup shaky early on A major part of the intrigue surrounding Şengün’s potential development this season is Houston’s affinity for using him in double-big lineups next to Steven Adams or Capela.
—William Guillory, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for next to
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Preposition
Reviews from your young readers will sit next to craft time, will sit next to interviews with special guests—like 14-year-old Bellen Woodard, the author of More Than Peach.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2025
In particular, the Pacers’ lack of a real starting center could open the door for extensive Walker minutes as a frontcourt reserve — either by playing backup center himself or by playing Toppin as a small-ball center and running Walker next to him.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Adverb
Defending Education’s Nicole Neily, who was also at McMahon’s confirmation, stood next to McMahon when the secretary announced an investigation into the Maine Department of Education for keeping records from parents about student gender identity plans.
—Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 8 Oct. 2025
Double-big lineup shaky early on A major part of the intrigue surrounding Şengün’s potential development this season is Houston’s affinity for using him in double-big lineups next to Steven Adams or Capela.
—William Guillory, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for next to
Cite this Entry
“Next to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/next%20to. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share