INDEX:
1. next to someone or something
2. when something is next to something else
3. to be in a position next to something
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ NEAR
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1. next to someone or something
▷ next to /ˈnekst tuː/ [preposition]
▪ Roy had the seat next to the window.
▪ I parked my car next to yours.
▪ ‘Have you and Chris met?’ ‘Yes, we were sitting next to each other at dinner.’
▪ ‘Where’s the French dictionary?’ ‘On the bottom shelf, next to the encyclopaedia.’
right next to
next to and very close to
▪ I couldn’t believe it. There was Tom Cruise, right next to me!
▪ The hotel was right next to the airport.
▷ by /baɪ/ [preposition]
next to or very close to something :
▪ I saw him standing by the window.
▪ Weymouth is a pretty little town by the sea.
by the side of something
next to a river, road, path etc
▪ Several soldiers were sitting on the grass by the side of the road.
wait by the phone
▪ Relatives are anxiously waiting by the phone for more news about the plane crash.
▷ beside /bɪˈsaɪd/ [preposition]
next to or very close to someone or something :
▪ Ella came and sat down beside me.
▪ On the table beside the bed were several medicine bottles.
▪ They were sitting beside the pool, eating breakfast.
▷ next door /nekst ˈdɔːʳ/ [adverb]
next to another building, room etc or living in the next house :
▪ ‘Is this Maria’s office?’ ‘No, hers is next door.’
▪ Have you met the people who’ve just moved in next door?
next door to
▪ Why don’t we meet at that little French bistro next door to the theater?
live next door to somebody
▪ ‘How do you know Marsha?’ ‘I used to live next door to her.’
▷ by/at somebody’s side /baɪ, ət somebodyˈs ˈsaɪd/ [adverb]
standing, sitting, or placed next to someone, especially when they are doing something :
▪ I like to have a Thesaurus at my side whenever I do any writing.
▪ Dirk went and stood by her side, his arm around her slender waist.
▷ at the side of something/on the side of something /ət ðə ˈsaɪd əv something, ɒn ðə ˈsaɪd əv something/ [preposition]
next to a road or path :
▪ Richard left his motorcycle on the side of the road and started to walk.
▪ Tests in April showed that police cars parked at the side of motorways reduce speeds by ten miles per hour on average.
▷ along /əˈlɒŋǁəˈlɔːŋ/ [preposition]
in a line close to the side of a river, coast, border etc :
▪ We followed the path along the shore for several miles.
▪ Walk along the canal as far as the bridge.
▪ The Rif Mountains were visible as we sailed along the African coast.
all along
from one end to another
▪ Troops were stationed all along the border.
▷ side by side /ˌsaɪd baɪ ˈsaɪd/ [adverb]
if two people are walking, sitting or lying side by side, they are next to each other :
▪ We walked along slowly, side by side.
▪ Sabina and Mel sat side by side in the back seat.
▷ alongside /əˌlɒŋˈsaɪdǁəˌlɔːŋ-/ [preposition/adverb]
next to or along the side of something :
▪ The two boats were moored alongside each other in the harbor.
▪ I decided to take the path alongside the railway track.
▪ The driver was just getting out of his car when a police car pulled up alongside.
▷ two/three/four etc abreast /ˌtuː əˈbrest/ [adverb]
if people walk two/three/four etc abreast, that number of them walk at the same speed next to each other :
▪ The sidewalk was wide enough for us to walk three abreast.
2. when something is next to something else
▷ the next /ðə ˈnekst/ [determiner]
the next room, house, street etc is the one immediately next to the one you are in :
▪ I could hear a furious argument going on in the next room.
▪ There’s a bakery just around the corner in the next street.
▷ adjacent /əˈdʒeɪs ə nt/ [adjective] formal
a building or piece of land that is adjacent to another one is immediately next to it :
▪ The blaze spread to two adjacent buildings before firefighters were able to contain it.
adjacent to
▪ Fields adjacent to the nuclear facility were found to have high levels of radioactivity.
▷ adjoining /əˈdʒɔɪnɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun] formal
an adjoining room, building, or piece of land is one that is next to another one and is actually joined to it :
▪ We had adjoining rooms at the hotel, so we could just go backwards and forwards between them.
▪ Three planes were waiting to take off on an adjoining runway.
3. to be in a position next to something
▷ be next to /biː ˈnekst tu/ [verb phrase]
▪ Cindy’s house was next to ours.
▪ The primary school is next to the town hall.
▷ adjoin /əˈdʒɔɪn/ [transitive verb]
if a room, building, or piece of land adjoins another one, it is next to it and is actually joined to it - use this especially in written descriptions of buildings and property :
▪ The kitchen adjoins the sitting room, which is spacious, high and airy.
▪ The 100-acre parcel of land adjoins Seagal’s ranch, about 30 miles north of Santa Barbara.
▷ border /ˈbɔːʳdəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to have a border with another country or area :
▪ The Black Sea borders a half-dozen countries.
▪ France borders Spain along the length of the Pyrenees.