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near

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adjective, adverb, preposition American English pronunciation: near /nɪr/
Near can be used in the following ways:
as a preposition: I lived near the school. ♦ I’ll write and let you know nearer the time.
as an adverb: Come nearer, and I’ll tell you the whole story.
as an adjective: I went into the nearest room. ♦ A climb in the mountains led to near disaster.
in the preposition phrase near to: Pull your chair nearer to the table.
 
  1. 1
    close to someone or something

    A group of students were standing near the entrance.

    The tornado destroyed two houses near Tulsa.

    The supermarket is quite near.

    I slept in the bed nearest the door.

    They live on a ranch 15 miles from the nearest town.

    near to:

    Rosa moved a little nearer to the fire.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  nearThesaurus entry for this meaning of near
    1. a.
      used for referring to the side of something that is the closest to where you are

      I got into the near side of the bed.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  nearThesaurus entry for this meaning of near
  2. 2
    not long before a particular time or event

    It was nearer three than two o’clock when he finally arrived.

    I had no intention of making any decision until much nearer the time.

    The incident occurred near the end of the war.

    draw near:

    The date of the election was drawing near.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  nearThesaurus entry for this meaning of near
  3. 3
    very similar to something

    What he’s saying now is near the truth, but it’s still not accurate.

    near to:

    My feelings were nearer to despair than disappointment.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  nearThesaurus entry for this meaning of near
  4. 4
    only a little less than a particular amount or number

    The temperature that day was near 100 degrees.

    The loss was near 15 percent for the year.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  nearThesaurus entry for this meaning of near
  5. 5
    getting close to a particular state or situation
    near to:

    Julian was near to panic as he suddenly realized that he was trapped.

    People near to retirement need to know their savings are sufficient.

    near to doing something:

    They are near to solving the puzzle.

    There were rumors that the 66-year-old leader was near death.

phrases

derived word

nearness

noun [uncountable]

There was a lot of mist around because of the garden’s nearness to the river.

This is the American English definition of near. View British English definition of near.

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