near
//nɪə//
Forms
- Comparative
- nearer
- Superlative
- nearest
- Comparative
- nearer
- Superlative
- nearest
Definitions
1.Physically close.
- I can't see near objects very clearly without my glasses.
- Without any ceremony the near man let drive at my throat with one of those beastly wavy daggers they go in for.
- At the end of the line nearest the Arch, under a flary light, stood an old bearded man having the look on his face of a kindly but somewhat irritated moo-cow.
2.Close in time.
- We're getting near to Christmas.
3.Closely connected or related.
- The deceased man had no near relatives.
4.Close to one's interests, affection, etc.; intimate; dear.
- It is a matter of near consequence to me.
1.At or towards a position close in space or time.
2.Nearly; almost.
- I jumped into the near-freezing water.
- He was near unconscious when I found him.
- I near ruptured myself trying to move the piano.
1.Physically close to, in close proximity to.
- There are habitable planets orbiting many of the stars near our Sun.
- Ts'ai Ch'ien 蔡乾 was born in 1908 in Changhua near Taichung, Taiwan (Formosa).
- He entered the inn, and asking for dinner, unbuckled his wallet, and sat down to rest himself near the door.
2.Close to in time.
- The voyage was near completion.
Frequency
Overall
Common· #862
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Common
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Uncommon
Related words
Etymology
From Middle English nere, ner, from Old English nēar (“nearer”, comparative of nēah (“nigh”), the superlative would become next), influenced by Old Norse nær (“near”), both originating from Proto-Germanic *nēhwiz (“nearer”), comparative of the adverb *nēhw (“near”), from the adjective *nēhwaz, ultimately from Pre-Proto-Germanic *h₂nḗḱwos, a lengthened-grade adjective derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- (“to reach”).