: close to
beaches near the city
seemed to be near death
1
a
: not far distant in time, place, or degree
in the near future
b
: almost happening : narrowly missed or avoided
a near win in the primary
a near midair collision
c
: nearly not happening
a near escape
2
: closely related or intimately associated
her nearest and dearest friend
3
a
: being the closer of two
the near side
b
: being the left-hand one of a pair
the near wheel of a cart
5
6
a
: closely resembling the standard or typical
a near desert
b
: approximating the genuine
near silk
nearness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of near in a Sentence
Adverb
The plant was near dead when I got it.
as the campers grew cold, so they gravitated nearer to the campfire
Preposition
I left the box near the door.
The cat won't go near fire.
There are several beaches near here.
She came home near midnight.
We feared he was near death.
Adjective
The nearest grocery store is three blocks away.
The near side headlight is out.
Verb
As the date of the performance neared, we grew more and more anxious.
He always cheers up when baseball season nears.
The airplane began to descend as it neared the island.
He must be nearing 80 years of age.
The negotiators were nearing a decision.
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Liakos, CNN, 4 Feb. 2025
Warmer weather moves into Kansas City On Friday, temperatures will start to warm up, returning to near normal, the weather service said.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2025
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
Martinelli split a double team near the baseline and softly laid it in to give Northwestern (13-10, 4-8 Big Ten) the lead in the closing seconds.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2025
Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2025
Today the Court has instructed SPT to temporarily cease taking on the distribution of the shows until the Court can further hear from the parties on this issue in the near future.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 6 Feb. 2025
Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 26 Jan. 2025
Gold prices surged, nearing record levels this week.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for near 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adverb
Sitting near the boundary of the massive African and Eurasian tectonic plates, Santorini is no stranger to tremors, although near-constant seismic events like this are rare.
—Chris Liakos, CNN, 4 Feb. 2025
Warmer weather moves into Kansas City On Friday, temperatures will start to warm up, returning to near normal, the weather service said.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2025
Preposition
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued an update on the investigation into the fatal midair collision near D.C.'s Ronald Reagan National Airport last week.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
Martinelli split a double team near the baseline and softly laid it in to give Northwestern (13-10, 4-8 Big Ten) the lead in the closing seconds.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
Today the court has instructed SPT to temporarily cease taking on the distribution of the shows until the Court can further hear from the parties on this issue in the near future.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2025
Today the Court has instructed SPT to temporarily cease taking on the distribution of the shows until the Court can further hear from the parties on this issue in the near future.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 6 Feb. 2025
Verb
The former New York Giants running back has run for at least 100 yards in four straight games and nearing a fifth straight game.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 26 Jan. 2025
Gold prices surged, nearing record levels this week.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for near
Articles Related to near
Dictionary Entries Near near
Cite this Entry
“Near.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/near. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
near
1 of 4 adverb1
: at, within, or to a short distance or time
night was drawing near
2
: in a condition or state resembling or close to : almost
near dead
3
: nearly sense 1
near related
near
2 of 4 preposition(ˈ)ni(ə)r
: close to
standing near the door
near
3 of 4 adjectiveˈni(ə)r
1
: closely related or associated
her nearest and dearest friend
2
a
: not far away
the near future
b
: barely avoided
a near disaster
c
: almost not happening
a near victory
3
: being the closer of two
the near side of a hill
4
: direct entry 2 sense 1, short
the nearest route
5
: closely resembling a model or a genuine example
near silk
nearness
noun
near
4 of 4 verbˈni(ə)r
: to come near : approach
the ship was nearing the dock
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