• Near

    Pronunciation

    • UK IPA: /nɪə(ɹ)/
    • US IPA: /nɪɹ/
    • Rhymes: -ɪə(r)

    Origin

    From Middle English nere, ner, from Old English nēar ("nearer", comparative of nēah, nigh.), influenced by Old Norse nǣr ("near"), both originating from Proto-Germanic *nēhwiz ("nearer"), comparative of the adverb *nēhw ("near"). Cognate with Old Frisian niār ("nearer"), Dutch naar ("to, towards"), Old High German nāhōr ("nearer"), Danish når ("when"), Swedish när ("when").

    Full definition of near

    Noun

    near

    (plural nears)
    1. The left side of a horse or of a team of horses pulling a carriage etc.

    Synonyms

    Antonyms

    Adjective

    near

    1. Physically close.
      • DrydenHe served great Hector, and was ever near,
        Not with his trumpet only, but his spear.
    2. Closely connected or related.
      • Bible, Leviticus xviii. 12She is thy father's near kinswoman.
    3. Close to one's interests, affection, etc.; intimate; dear.a near friend
    4. Close to anything followed or imitated; not free, loose, or rambling.a version near to the original
    5. So as barely to avoid or pass injury or loss; close; narrow.a near escape
    6. (of an event) Approaching.The end is near.
    7. Approximate, almost.The two words are near synonyms.
    8. (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
    9. (obsolete) Immediate; direct; close; short.
      • Miltonthe nearest way
    10. (obsolete, slang) Stingy; parsimonious.

    Antonyms

    Derived terms

    Terms derived from near (adjective)

    Adverb

    near

    1. Having a small intervening distance with regard to something.I'm near-sighted.
    2. (colloquial) nearly
      • 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 p. 263Sir John Friend had very near completed a regiment of horse.
      • 2003 Owen Parry Honor's Kingdom p. 365Thinking about those pounds and pence, I near forgot my wound.
      • 2004 Jimmy Buffett A Salty Piece of Land p. 315, p. 35"I damn near forgot." He pulled an envelope from his jacket.
      • 2006 Juliet Marillier The Dark Mirror p. 377The fire was almost dead, the chamber near dark.

    Derived terms

    Preposition

    1. Close to, in close proximity to.
      There are habitable planets orbiting many of the stars near our Sun.
      • 1820, Mary Shelley, :He entered the inn, and asking for dinner, unbuckled his wallet, and sat down to rest himself near the door.
      • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 17, This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything.
      • 1927, H.P. Lovecraft, :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.
      • 2013-08-16, John Vidal, Dams endanger ecology of Himalayas, Most of the Himalayan rivers have been relatively untouched by dams near their sources. Now the two great Asian powers, India and China, are rushing to harness them as they cut through some of the world's deepest valleys.
    2. Close to in time.
      The voyage was near completion.

    Usage notes

    Joan Maling (1983) shows that near is best analysed as an adjective with which the use of to is optional, rather than a preposition. It has the comparative and the superlative, and it can be followed by enough. The use of to however is usually British.

    Antonyms

    Verb

    1. To come closer to; to approach.The ship nears the land.

    Anagrams

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