DictionaryAI

neighbour

NAY-buh/ˈneɪbə/NAY-bur/ˈneɪbɚ/

Pluralneighbours

Verbneighbours, neighbouring, neighboured

US spellingneighbor

6 meanings of neighbour

Practice

  1. 1
    one nearbynouncountable
    A person who lives or happens to be near you, or something near another thing of the same kind.

    Our neighbour helps us when the car won't start.

    In the cinema, my neighbour ate popcorn all through the film.

    UsageSay next-door neighbour. In America it is spelt neighbor.

    Note
  2. 2
    lie besideverbtransitive
    To be right beside a place or thing, or to share a border with it.

    The park neighbours our school.

    Villages that neighbour the river often flood in winter.

    UsageMost often neighbouring: the neighbouring town.

    Similarborder, adjoin, abut

    Note
  3. 3
    fellow humannouncountable
    In the Bible, any other person, not just one who lives near you.

    The vicar said that every person in the world is our neighbour.

    Helping a stranger is a way of loving your neighbour.

    UsageSay love your neighbour: be kind to every person.

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    be almost likeverbfigurativelyintransitive
    To be very close to being something (used with 'on').

    UsageLike border on: to be almost the same as something.

    Similarverge

    Note
  2. 5
    nounarchaic
    A person who is close to you in feeling or whom you trust with your secrets.
    Buckingham / No more shall be the neighbour to my counsel.
    c. 1593, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third:”
  3. 6
    verbarchaic
    To keep someone company or have a close relationship with them.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of neighbour apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old English words meaning "near" and "farmer", so a neighbour was someone living nearby.

Checked 4 Nov 2026 · 4 facts