: 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
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
Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
From arrival to the smallest gestures, everything flows naturally, guided by near-invisible discretion, care that is felt rather than seen.
—María Casbas, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Jan. 2026
Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Thursday's crash happened near the city of Durban in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province.
—Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
With the shot clock running down, Franklin passed the ball from the near mid-pool to Franklin positioned in front of the Beckman goal.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Fortune spoke with Paolo Ardoino, the CEO of the secretive firm, to discuss the company’s growth and his belief that Western society is nearing collapse.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for near
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show current usage.
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Adverb
At the rear of the Icemag 3 is a near-silent fan with RGB lighting that cools the power bank down when its charging a smartphone.
—Preposition
The strongest winds are expected near the coast, where gusts could approach hurricane force, or 75 miles per hour, along parts of the North Carolina and Virginia shoreline by Saturday night.
—Adjective
The patterns observed now may not hold even in the near future as models rapidly become more capable and avanced and as automation expands.
—Verb
On the other hand, the Russia-Ukraine war has shown no signs of nearing a halt.
—Cite this Entry
“Near.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/near. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
Kids 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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