near
gb/nˈɪɹ/ us/nˈɪɹ/
A1
English
~ 2700
Senses
0 senses
preposition
A1
relation
1
Close to in space
Close to someone or something.
Usage pattern:
near [a place/thing/person]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'near' with 'next to'. 'Near' means close but not necessarily immediately beside.
Synonyms
close to (Very similar meaning; 'close to' is slightly more common in spoken English.)
Antonyms
far from (Opposite in meaning; indicates a large distance away from something.)
Collocations
near the house
|near the school
|near the station
|near the city center
Themes
location
|daily life
|space
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The school is near the park.
- She lives near the train station.
- We stayed at a hotel near the beach.
- There’s a bus stop near my apartment.
Learner examples
- The shop is near my home.
- I sit near my friend.
- The bank is near the bus stop.
- He works near the airport.
adjective
A2
property
2
Close in space or time
Not far away in place or time.
Usage pattern:
a near [place/event/time]
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse 'near' as an adjective where 'nearby' is more natural for describing location.
Synonyms
close (Similar meaning; 'close' is more general and can apply to relationships as well as distance.)
Antonyms
distant (Indicates something far away in space or time.)
Collocations
near future
|near neighbor
|near disaster
Themes
location
|time
|space
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The hotel is in a near location to the airport.
- We hope to see results in the near future.
- They live in a near village.
Learner examples
- I will go there in the near future.
- He lives in a near town.
- The bus stop is in a near place.
adverb
A2
relation
3
Close by
Close to a place or person.
Synonyms
closely (Can mean physically close, but also emotionally or in detail, so less precise for pure distance.)
Antonyms
far (Indicates being a long distance away.)
Collocations
come near
|stand near
|stay near
Themes
location
|space
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Come near so I can see you better.
- He stood near and listened quietly.
- Don’t go near when the machine is running.
Learner examples
- Come near to me.
- She stands near when we talk.
- The dog comes near when I have food.
Verb
B1
action
4
Move closer to something
To get closer to someone, something, or a time.
Usage pattern:
near [something/someone]
Synonyms
approach ('Approach' is slightly more formal and often used for deliberate movement toward something.)
Antonyms
recede (Means to move away from something or become more distant.)
Collocations
nearing completion
|nearing the end
|nearing the finish line
Themes
movement
|time
|space
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- We are nearing our destination.
- As winter nears, the days get shorter.
- The project is nearing completion.
Learner examples
- The train is nearing the station.
- My birthday is nearing.
- We are nearing the end of the game.
adjective
B2
property
5
Almost happening or true
Almost happening or true.
Usage pattern:
a near [disaster/miss/impossible task]
Synonyms
almost ('Almost' is an adverb, so used differently in grammar but similar in meaning.)
Antonyms
certain (Indicates definite occurrence, opposite of 'almost'.)
Collocations
near miss
|near disaster
|near perfect
Themes
probability
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- It was a near disaster when the car skidded on ice.
- They had a near miss with another vehicle.
- Her performance was near perfect.
Learner examples
- It was a near miss.
- We had a near disaster on the road.
- His score was near perfect.
Grammar
Dictionary form
near
IPA
GB/nˈɪɹ/
US/nˈɪɹ/
Syllables & stress
near (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (near)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: near
- Comparative: nearer
- Superlative: nearest
Verb
- Base: near
- 3rd Person Singular: nears
- Present Participle: nearing
- Past: neared
Word family
Expressions
come near
1/kˈʌm nˈɪɹ/
fixed phrase
Move physically close to something/someone
To move closer to someone or something.
Examples
- Don’t come near the fire.
- She came near enough to hear their conversation.
draw near
2/dɹˈɔ nˈɪɹ/
fixed phrase
literary
Approach in space or time
To come closer in place or time.
Examples
- Winter is drawing near.
- She drew near to whisper something.
near future
3/nˈɪɹ fjˈut͡ʃɚ/
fixed phrase
Soon after now
A time that will come soon after now.
Examples
- We plan to travel in the near future.
- Big changes are expected in the near future.
near miss
4/nˈɪɹ mˈɪs/
fixed phrase
Event narrowly avoiding danger or failure
An event where something bad almost happened but did not.
Examples
- The two cars almost crashed—it was a near miss.
- The two planes had a near miss over the city.
- That was a near miss; the ball nearly broke the window.
- It was a near miss when he almost slipped off the ladder.