1
: immediately adjacent (as in place, rank, or time)
2
: any other considered hypothetically
knew it as well as the next man
see also:
: nearest or adjacent to
1
: in the time, place, or order nearest or immediately succeeding
next we drove home
the next closest school
2
: on the first occasion to come
when next we meet
: one that is next
from one day to the next
Examples of next in a Sentence
Adjective
I'll see you next Monday.
Next year's party will be even better.
the very next thing that happened
Can I help the next person in line? Who's next?
We could hear people talking in the next room.
At the next set of lights, turn left.
I need the next size up.
The next time we will see each other will be on our wedding day.
Next time, please remember to bring your books to class.
She knew the answer as well as the next person.
Adverb
Next, I need to ask you a few questions about your family.
Recent Examples on the Web
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 May 2026
The team is still working to determine next steps and has not ruled out surgery.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026
Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
Though the measure is effectively dead for the remainder of the session, Cortese vowed to run the bill next year.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2026
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
Investors meticulously scrutinize the statement, looking for tiny wording changes that could signal what the committee is planning to do next.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 13 May 2026
Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 6 May 2026
Health officials’ decision on what to do next could be delicate.
—Chelsea Cirruzzo, STAT, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for next
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Grand spaces flow from one to the next not like a hotel but more like the elegant Gilded Age homes of neighboring Beacon Hill and Back Bay.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 May 2026
The team is still working to determine next steps and has not ruled out surgery.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026
Preposition
Promotion to the Premier League is estimated to be worth roughly $270 million in television revenue and prize money next season alone.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
Though the measure is effectively dead for the remainder of the session, Cortese vowed to run the bill next year.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2026
Adverb
The disagreement reflects a broader divide emerging in Washington as officials weigh what comes next if negotiations fail.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
Investors meticulously scrutinize the statement, looking for tiny wording changes that could signal what the committee is planning to do next.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 13 May 2026
Noun
Today's higher-than-average credit card rates aren't helping, either, as the borrowers who are carrying revolving debt from one month to the next are watching their credit card debt compound rapidly.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 6 May 2026
Health officials’ decision on what to do next could be delicate.
—Chelsea Cirruzzo, STAT, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for next
Cite this Entry
“Next.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/next. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
next
1 of 3 adjective
: coming immediately before or following
the next page
the house next to ours
next
2 of 3 preposition(ˈ)nekst
next
3 of 3 adverbˈnekst
1
: in the nearest time, place, or order following
open this package next
2
: at the first time to come after this
when next we meet
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