near
- 1At a short distance in space or time from someone or something.
The hotel is near the beach, just two blocks from the sand.
Rescue teams searched the woods near the river all night.
UsageGoes straight before the noun: near the beach (not
incorrect: near of the beach). Near to also occurs. - 2A short distance away in space or time; not far off.
The shops are near, so most residents leave their cars at home.
Officials say the bridge will reopen in the near future, but they have not given a date.
UsageBefore a noun, nearby is usual: a nearby shop (not
incorrect: a near shop). Near works in phrases like the near future and the near side. - 3Coming very close to being something without quite reaching it.
The crash was a near disaster, yet everyone walked away unhurt.
The hall fell into near darkness when the power failed.
UsageBefore a noun: a near disaster, near darkness. After a verb, the disaster was near means it was going to happen soon.
Similarvirtual
Note
Here the word grades the noun rather than placing it. Near synonyms are almost, but not quite, synonyms.
- 4Close to something in nature, quality, or degree.
The final bill was nowhere near what the builder had first quoted us.
Her time in the race came near the record set ten years ago.
UsageUse nowhere near or not anywhere near to emphasize a large difference: The bill was nowhere near the estimate.
Similarlike
Note
Degree and nature are measured here, not miles: near the limit of what is acceptable. In Emma Lea's A Royal Enticement (2019), a character insists another felt nothing "anywhere near what I felt for him." Not anywhere near means far short of the mark, an emphatic denial rather than a measurement.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Emma Lea wrote A Royal Enticement. en.wiktionary.org
- A character denies that another character reciprocates comparable feelings, using the exact words quoted. en.wiktionary.org
- 5To come closer to someone or something in space or time.
Ships must slow down as they near the crowded port.
As midnight neared, the crowd began to count down.
UsageWith an object, as we neared London, or without one, often of a time: as midnight neared.
Similarapproach
- 6To a degree approaching completeness; almost or nearly.
Finishing the project on time was near impossible without more help.
The twins look near identical, even to their own parents.
UsageHyphenated before a noun, near-freezing water; open after a verb: near unconscious. Nearly is the more common choice.
Similaralmost, practically, virtually
Note
The adverb that does nearly's job without the -ly. It can also sit before a verb: "I near ruptured myself." Samuel Pepys used it the same way in 1666, writing that the Queen-Mother "hath near finished a peace with France."
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Samuel Pepys used this wording in his diary in 1666; the entry is dated 24 December. en.wikisource.org
- 7
Less common meanings
- 8Close to one's affections or interests; dear, or closely related by family or friendship, as in near relatives or near and dear.
Like the handful of people you would call first with good or bad news.
Protecting the old coastal wetlands is a cause near and dear to him.
Issues near to her heart shaped every speech she gave.
UsageAlso in your nearest and dearest, meaning your close family and friends.
Oppositedistant
Note
Affection and stake share this sense. A near friend is dear to you, and a matter of near consequence touches your own interests. It pairs most naturally with dear: near and dear, one's nearest and dearest, or "nearer and dearer to God" in Velvel Pasternak's Behind the Music (2017). It also covers kinship, with a shift: a near relative is closely related, while a near friend is closely loved.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
- The phrase "nearer and dearer to God" occurs in Velvel Pasternak's Behind the Music. en.wiktionary.org
- 9
- 10On the left-hand side of a horse or team of horses; also, chiefly in British use, on the side of a vehicle next to the kerb, the left where traffic keeps left.
The farrier lifted the near forefoot first, standing close against the horse's left shoulder.
The near horse of the pair had thrown a shoe, so the carriage stopped at the next village.
Note
Motoring and coachwork language pairs it with off. The near front wheel is the one beside the curb, and the off wheel faces the traffic. Because the term is tied to the curb rather than to left or right, the near side is the left only where traffic keeps left. In British usage it remains the standard way to name the sides of a vehicle.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
- Near is paired with off in vehicle terminology. en.wiktionary.org
- The near front wheel is on the curb side. en.wiktionary.org
- The off wheel is on the side away from the curb, toward traffic. rac.co.uk
- For vehicles, near denotes the curb side and therefore the left side where traffic keeps left. en.wiktionary.org
- 11Direct and short; taking the most immediate route rather than a roundabout one.
Toward ſolid good what leads the neareſt way;
1673, John Milton, “[Sonnet] [Sonnet] XVII”Note
Here the word measures a route's directness rather than its distance. Milton's sonnet of 1673 praises "what leads the neareſt way" toward solid good, meaning the most direct path. The sense is obsolete. A modern reader takes "the nearest way" to mean the closest one, so in your own writing use direct or shortest when directness is the point.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- The quoted sonnet is by John Milton and was first published in 1673. celm.folger.edu
- The quotation is exact, including the historical long s. en.wiktionary.org
- The sonnet describes the most direct path toward solid good. gutenberg.org
- 12Reluctant to spend or part with money; stingy and parsimonious.
[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.
1782, [Frances Burney], CeciliaDon't be near with your pocketbook.
Note
Money that is kept close never leaves the purse. Near in this archaic sense usually comes after the verb: he's so near, or don't be near with your pocketbook. Frances Burney's Cecilia (1782) has a servant marvel that a rich man is "so near, it's partly a wonder how he lives at all." Today it sounds old-fashioned. Stingy is the safe modern choice.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- Frances Burney wrote Cecilia. gutenberg.org
- Cecilia was first published in 1782. en.wikipedia.org
- A servant says the quoted words about a wealthy man; the speaker is Mr Briggs's foot-boy. gutenberg.org
- 13In a segmented memory architecture, lying inside whichever segment is currently selected.
- 14The left-hand side of a horse, or of a team of horses drawing a carriage or similar vehicle.
- 15A kidney, especially that of an animal.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
From Middle English nere, from Old English nēar ('nearer', the comparative of nēah 'nigh'), influenced by Old Norse nær ('near'). Both come from Proto-Germanic *nēhwiz ('nearer'), ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to reach.' It is related to German näher, Dutch naar, and Danish, Norwegian and Swedish forms, and it appears to owe much to the North Germanic languages.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 8 facts
- Near descends through Middle English nere from Old English nēar, meaning 'nearer'. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English nēar was the comparative of nēah, the ancestor of nigh. en.wiktionary.org
- Old Norse nær, meaning 'near', influenced English near. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English nēar and Old Norse nær descend from Proto-Germanic *nēhwiz, meaning 'nearer'. en.wiktionary.org
- The ultimate Proto-Indo-European root means 'to reach'. en.wiktionary.org
- Near is cognate with German näher. en.wiktionary.org
- Near is related to Dutch naar and corresponding Danish, Norwegian and Swedish forms. en.wiktionary.org
- North Germanic influence is a proposed significant factor in the development of near. en.wiktionary.org