transcription, транскрипция: [ nɪə(r) ]
( nearer, nearest, nears, nearing, neared)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
If something is near a place, thing, or person, it is a short distance from them.
Don’t come near me...
Her children went back every year to stay in a farmhouse near the cottage...
He drew his chair nearer the fire...
Some of the houses nearest the bridge were on fire.
PREP
•
Near is also an adverb.
He crouched as near to the door as he could...
She took a step nearer to the barrier...
As we drew near, I saw that the boot lid was up.
ADV : ADV after v , be ADV , oft ADV to n
•
Near is also an adjective.
He collapsed into the nearest chair...
Where’s the nearest telephone?...
The nearer of the two barges was perhaps a mile away.
ADJ : ADJ n , the ADJ of n
• near‧ness
He was suddenly aware of his nearness.
N-UNCOUNT : usu with poss
2.
If someone or something is near to a particular state, they have almost reached it.
After the war, The House of Hardie came near to bankruptcy...
The repairs to the Hafner machine were near to completion...
Apart from anything else, he comes near to contradicting himself.
= close
PREP-PHRASE : PREP n / -ing
•
Near means the same as near to .
He was near tears...
We are no nearer agreement now than in the past.
PREP
3.
If something is similar to something else, you can say that it is near to it.
...a sickening sensation that was near to nausea.
PREP-PHRASE
•
Near means the same as near to .
Often her feelings were nearer hatred than love.
PREP
4.
You describe the thing most similar to something as the nearest thing to it when there is no example of the thing itself.
It would appear that the legal profession is the nearest thing to a recession-proof industry...
ADJ : the ADJ n to n , the ADJ to n
5.
If a time or event draws near , it will happen soon. ( WRITTEN )
The time for my departure from Japan was drawing nearer every day.
ADV : ADV after v , be ADV
6.
If something happens near a particular time, it happens just before or just after that time.
Performance is lowest between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., and reaches a peak near midday...
I’ll tell you nearer the day.
PREP
7.
You use near to say that something is a little more or less than an amount or number stated.
...to increase manufacturing from about 2.5 million cars a year to nearer 4.75 million...
PREP
8.
You can say that someone will not go near a person or thing when you are emphasizing that they refuse to see them or go there.
He will absolutely not go near a hospital...
I’m so annoyed with her that I haven’t been near her for a week.
PREP : with brd-neg [ emphasis ]
9.
The near one of two things is the one that is closer.
...a mighty beech tree on the near side of the little clearing...
Jane put one foot in the near stirrup and turned to look at the stranger.
≠ far
ADJ : det ADJ n
10.
You use near to indicate that something is almost the thing mentioned.
She was believed to have died in near poverty on the French Riviera.
...the 48-year-old who was brought in to rescue the bank from near collapse.
ADJ : ADJ n
•
Near is also an adverb.
...his near fatal accident two years ago...
ADV : ADV adj
11.
In a contest, your nearest rival or challenger is the person or team that is most likely to defeat you.
That victory put the Ukrainians beyond the reach of their nearest challengers, Dynamo Moscow.
ADJ : ADJ n
12.
When you near a place, you get quite near to it. ( LITERARY )
As he neared the stable, he slowed the horse and patted it on the neck...
VERB : no passive , V n
13.
When someone or something nears a particular stage or point, they will soon reach that stage or point.
His age was hard to guess–he must have been nearing fifty...
The project is taking a long time but is now nearing completion.
= approach
VERB : no passive , V n , V n
14.
You say that an important time or event nears when it is going to occur quite soon. ( LITERARY )
As half time neared, Hardyman almost scored twice...
= approach
VERB : V
15.
People sometimes refer to their close relatives and friends as their nearest and dearest .
...that English convention of not showing your feelings, even to your nearest and dearest.
= kith and kin
PHRASE
16.
You use near and far to indicate that you are referring to a very large area or distance.
People would gather from near and far...
PHRASE
17.
If you say that something will happen in the near future , you mean that it will happen quite soon.
The controversy regarding vitamin C is unlikely to be resolved in the near future.
PHRASE
18.
You use nowhere near and not anywhere near to emphasize that something is not the case.
They are nowhere near good enough...
It was nowhere near as painful as David had expected...
PHRASE : usu PHR adj , PHR n [ emphasis ]