1
: immediately adjacent (as in place, rank, or time)
2
: any other considered hypothetically
knew it as well as the next man
see also:
: nearest or adjacent to
1
: in the time, place, or order nearest or immediately succeeding
next we drove home
the next closest school
2
: on the first occasion to come
when next we meet
: one that is next
from one day to the next
Examples of next in a Sentence
Adjective
I'll see you next Monday.
Next year's party will be even better.
the very next thing that happened
Can I help the next person in line? Who's next?
We could hear people talking in the next room.
At the next set of lights, turn left.
I need the next size up.
The next time we will see each other will be on our wedding day.
Next time, please remember to bring your books to class.
She knew the answer as well as the next person.
Adverb
Next, I need to ask you a few questions about your family.
Recent Examples on the Web
Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2026
Hines, who’s only a sophomore, could probably use the next five weeks of spring to develop, considering how much of the Trojans passing attack is likely to rest on his shoulders this fall.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
Connor Riley, AJC.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Crew was only two to make room for Boeing Starliner CFT crew astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on the return flight next February.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2026
Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
Up next Loyola Chicago hosts George Washington on Saturday.
—CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The next is to figure out what to do about it.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for next
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
And businesses aren’t waiting around for DeepSeek’s next model to drop.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2026
Hines, who’s only a sophomore, could probably use the next five weeks of spring to develop, considering how much of the Trojans passing attack is likely to rest on his shoulders this fall.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
Preposition
The Georgia quarterback elected to return to school for another season, in hopes of helping his draft status next season.
—Connor Riley, AJC.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Crew was only two to make room for Boeing Starliner CFT crew astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on the return flight next February.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2026
Adverb
But all of that drama was just a small taste of what’s coming next.
—Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
Up next Loyola Chicago hosts George Washington on Saturday.
—CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
Noun
In Hawaii’s biennial legislative cycle, bills introduced but not enacted in one year can carry over into the next and retain their status, which means a carried‑over cannabis bill can still be considered in 2026 without reintroduction.
—Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The next is to figure out what to do about it.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for next
Cite this Entry
“Next.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/next. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
next
1 of 3 adjective
: coming immediately before or following
the next page
the house next to ours
next
2 of 3 preposition(ˈ)nekst
next
3 of 3 adverbˈnekst
1
: in the nearest time, place, or order following
open this package next
2
: at the first time to come after this
when next we meet
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