English
near
see also: Near
Pronunciation
  • (British) enPR: nîr, IPA: /nɪə(ɹ)/
  • (America) enPR: nîr, IPA: /nɪɹ/
  • (near–square merger) IPA: /nɛə/
Adjective

near (comparative nearer, superlative nearest)

  1. Physically close.
    I can't see near objects very clearly without my glasses.
    Stay near at all times.
    • He served great Hector, and was ever near, / Not with his trumpet only, but his spear.
    Synonyms: close
    Antonyms: remote
  2. Close in time.
    The end is near.
  3. Closely connected or related.
    The deceased man had no near relatives.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, Leviticus 18:12 ↗:
      she is thy fathers neere kinswoman.
  4. Close to one's interests, affection, etc.; intimate; dear.
    a near friend
  5. Close to anything followed or imitated; not free, loose, or rambling.
    a version near to the original
  6. So as barely to avoid or pass injury or loss; close; narrow.
    a near escape
  7. Approximate, almost.
    The two words are near synonyms.
  8. (British, in relation to a vehicle) On the side nearest to the kerb (the left-hand side if one drives on the left).
    The near front wheel came loose.
    Antonyms: off
  9. (dated) Next to the driver, when he is on foot; (US) on the left of an animal or a team.
    the near ox; the near leg
  10. (obsolete) Immediate; direct; close; short.
    • 1673, John Milton, “Sonnet XVII”, in Poems, &c. upon Several Occaſions., London: Printed for Tho. Dring […] , OCLC 1050806759 ↗, page 61 ↗:
      Toward ſolid good what leads the neareſt way;
  11. (now, rare) Stingy; parsimonious. [from 17th c.]
    • 1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, II.iii.1:
      “[T]o let you know, Miss, he's so near, it's partly a wonder how he lives at all: and yet he's worth a power of money, too.”
Synonyms Antonyms Translations Translations Adverb

near (comparative nearer, superlative nearest)

  1. At or towards a position close in space or time.
  2. Nearly; almost.
    He was near unconscious when I found him.
    I jumped into the near-freezing water.
    I near ruptured myself trying to move the piano.
    • 1666, Samuel Pepys, Diary and Correspondence, (1867)
      […] he hears for certain that the Queen-Mother is about and hath near finished a peace with France […]
    • 1825, David Hume, Tobias George Smollett, The History of England, page 263
      Sir John Friend had very near completed a regiment of horse.
    • 2003, Owen Parry, Honor's Kingdom, page 365
      Thinking about those pounds and pence, I near forgot my wound.
    • 2004, Jimmy Buffett, A Salty Piece of Land page 315
      "I damn near forgot." He pulled an envelope from his jacket.
    • 2006, Juliet Marillier, The Dark Mirror, page 377
      The fire was almost dead, the chamber near dark.
Translations Preposition
  1. Physically close to, in close proximity to.
    There are habitable planets orbiting many of the stars near our Sun.
    • 1820, Mary Shelley, Maurice, or The Fisher's Cot:
      He entered the inn, and asking for dinner, unbuckled his wallet, and sat down to rest himself near the door.
    • 1927, H.P. Lovecraft, The Colour Out of Space:
      It shied, balked, and whinnied, and in the end he could do nothing but drive it into the yard while the men used their own strength to get the heavy wagon near enough the hayloft for convenient pitching.
  2. Close to in time.
    The voyage was near completion.
  3. Close to in nature or degree.
    His opinions are near the limit of what is acceptable.
Antonyms Translations
  • French: près de
  • German: neben, Nähe
  • Italian: vicino a
  • Portuguese: perto de, próximo de
  • Russian: рядом
  • Spanish: cerca de
Verb

near (nears, present participle nearing; past and past participle neared)

  1. (ambitransitive) To come closer to; to approach.
    The ship nears the land.
Translations Noun

near (plural nears)

  1. The left side of a horse or of a team of horses pulling a carriage etc.
    Synonyms: near side
    Antonyms: off side
Near
Proper noun
  1. Surname


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