near
near
(nɪəʳ )Word forms: comparative nearer , superlative nearest , 3rd person singular present tense nears , present participle nearing , past tense, past participle neared
1. preposition
If something is near a place, thing, or person, it is a short distance from them.
Don't come near me.
Her children went back every year to stay in a farmhouse near the cottage.
He drew his chair nearer the fire.
Some of the houses nearest the bridge were on fire.
He crouched as near to the door as he could. [+ to]
She took a step nearer to the barrier.
As we drew near, I saw that the boot lid was up.
Near is also an adjective.
He collapsed into the nearest chair.
Where's the nearest telephone?
He went back into the bedroom, slipped into the nearer bed, and said goodnight.
The nearer of the two barges was perhaps a mile away.
nearness uncountable noun [usually with poss]
He was suddenly aware of his nearness.
2. phrase
After the war, The House of Hardie came near to bankruptcy.
The repairs to the Hafner machine were near to completion.
Apart from anything else, he comes near to contradicting himself.
Near means the same as near to.
He was near tears.
For almost a month he lay near death.
We are no nearer agreement now than in the past.
3. phrase
If something is similar to something else, you can say that it is near to it.
...a sickening sensation that was near to nausea.
Near means the same as near to.
Often her feelings were nearer hatred than love.
4. adjective
5. adverb [ADVERB after verb, be ADVERB]
6. preposition
If something happens near a particular time, it happens just before or just after that time.
Performance is lowest between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., and reaches a peak near midday.
'Since I retired to this place,' he wrote near the end of his life, 'I have never been out of these mountains.'.
I'll tell you nearer the day.
7. preposition
You use near to say that something is a little more or less than an amount or number stated.
...to increase manufacturing from about 2.5 million cars a year to nearer 4.75 million.
The pound, which ended last year near its annual low, is expected to come under renewed pressure today.
8. preposition
You can say that someone will not go near a person or thing when you are emphasizing that they refuse to see them or go there.
[emphasis]He will absolutely not go near a hospital.
I'm so annoyed with her that I haven't been near her for a week.
9. adjective
The near one of two things is the one that is closer.
...a mighty beech tree on the near side of the little clearing.
Jane put one foot in the near stirrup and turned to look at the stranger.
10. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
She was believed to have died in near poverty on the French Riviera.
...the 48-year-old who was brought in to rescue the bank from near collapse.
Near is also an adverb.
...his near fatal accident two years ago.
The picture beneath was near lifesize.
11. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
12. verb [no passive]
13. verb [no passive]
When someone or something nears a particular stage or point, they will soon reach that stage or point.
His age was hard to guess–he must have been nearing fifty. [VERB noun]
You are nearing the end of your training and you haven't attempted any assessments yet. [VERB noun]
The project is taking a long time but is now nearing completion. [VERB noun]
14. verb
16.
