Etymology: (bef. 900; ME nere, OE nēar, comp. of nēahnigh)
Definition of 'NEAR'
Princeton's WordNet
1. (adj)near, close, nigh not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances "near neighbors"; "in the near future"; "they are near equals"; "his nearest approach to success"; "a very near thing"; "a near hit by the bomb"; "she was near tears"; "she was close to tears"; "had a close call"
2. (adj)near(a), nigh(a) being on the left side "the near or nigh horse is the one on the left"; "the animal's left side is its near or nigh side"
3. (adj)near closely resembling the genuine article "near beer"; "a dress of near satin"
4. (adj)cheeseparing, close, near, penny-pinching, skinny giving or spending with reluctance "our cheeseparing administration"; "very close (or near) with his money"; "a penny-pinching miserly old man"
5. (adj)dear, good, near with or in a close or intimate relationship "a good friend"; "my sisters and brothers are near and dear"
6. (verb)approximate, near very close in resemblance "sketched in an approximate likeness"; "a near likeness"
7. (adverb)approach, near, come on, go up, draw near, draw close, come near move towards "We were approaching our destination"; "They are drawing near"; "The enemy army came nearer and nearer"
8. (adverb)near, nigh, close near in time or place or relationship "as the wedding day drew near"; "stood near the door"; "don't shoot until they come near"; "getting near to the true explanation"; "her mother is always near"; "The end draws nigh"; "the bullet didn't come close"; "don't get too close to the fire"
9. (adverb)about, almost, most, nearly, near, nigh, virtually, well-nigh (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but "the job is (just) about done"; "the baby was almost asleep when the alarm sounded"; "we're almost finished"; "the car all but ran her down"; "he nearly fainted"; "talked for nigh onto 2 hours"; "the recording is well-nigh perfect"; "virtually all the parties signed the contract"; "I was near exhausted by the run"; "most everyone agrees"
1. (preposition)near at a short distance; = close We live near the old factory.; He moved nearer to her.
2. near at a time that is not far away; = close Thanksgiving is near the end of November.
3. near indicates a number is slightly higher or lower than sth; = close With gas prices near the $3 mark, it's getting more expensive to drive a car.; temperatures dropping near zero
4. near similar to; = close Nobody comes near to him in speed.
5. near come near to in a state similar to; = close an old man near death; worshipers reaching near ecstasy
6. (adjective)near ≠ far the nearest star to Earth; I could tell the plane was near.
7. near almost sth, or almost in a particular state a near tragedy; reports that she is near death
8. near the nearest the most similar; = the closest I was the nearest thing to a sister he had.
9. near in the near future at a time not very long from now He'll be visiting again in the near future.
10. (adverb)near at a short distance; = close as the horses came nearer
11. near at a time that is not far away; = close as the end of summer drew near
12. near draw near used with adjectives to mean "almost" a near-perfect score
13. near nowhere near/not anywhere near emphasizes sth is not enough Six months is nowhere near enough time.
14. (verb)near to comecloser to a time; = approach The year is nearing its end.
Definition of 'NEAR'
Webster Dictionary
1. (adverb)NEAR at a little distance, in place, time, manner, or degree; not remote; nigh
2. (adverb)NEAR nearly; almost; well-nigh
3. (adverb)NEAR closely; intimately
4. (adverb)NEAR not far distant in time, place, or degree; not remote; close at hand; adjacent; neighboring; nigh
5. (adverb)NEAR closely connected or related
6. (adverb)NEAR close to one's interests, affection, etc.; touching, or affecting intimately; intimate; dear; as, a near friend
7. (adverb)NEAR close to anything followed or imitated; not free, loose, or rambling; as, a version near to the original
8. (adverb)NEAR so as barely to avoid or passinjury or loss; close; narrow; as, a near escape
9. (adverb)NEAR next to the driver, when he is on foot; in the Unted States, on the left of an animal or a team; as, the near ox; the near leg. See Off side, under Off, a
10. (adverb)NEAR to approach; to come nearer; as, the ship neared the land