near
near Lexical Profile
near Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Located a short distance away in space.
"We walked to the nearest train station to catch the morning commuter rail."
Only a short time ahead or in the past; imminent.
"The company plans to expand its renewable energy operations in the near future."
Closely related by kinship, or connected by deep intimacy and affection.
"Only her nearest relatives were invited to attend the private ceremony."
Closely resembling or approximating an original, state, or outcome.
"The translation is a near equivalent of the ancient Greek poem."
• adverb
At or to a short distance away in space.
"The deer paused as the hikers drew near."
A short time away in the future.
"With the championship tournament drawing near, the athletes increased their training hours."
Almost or very close to a specified state or condition.
"After three months of drought, the reservoir was near empty."
• preposition
At or to a short distance away from a place, person, or thing.
"They rented a quiet cottage near the coast."
A short period of time from a specified point or event.
"My sister's birthday is very near the end of the year."
Close to a particular state, condition, or level.
"The exhausted marathon runner looked near collapse as he crossed the finish line."
• verb
To come close or closer to a place, time, or state.
"As the ship neared the harbor, the passengers gathered on the main deck."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'near' and 'nearly' both relate to proximity, 'near' primarily indicates physical, temporal, or relational closeness, whereas 'nearly' functions exclusively as an adverb of degree meaning 'almost'.
• Rhymes for near
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'near', originally the comparative form of the adverb 'neah' (nigh), meaning 'closer'. Over the course of Middle English, it lost its strictly comparative sense and came to be used as a positive adjective, adverb, and preposition.