Etimology
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”). Cognate with Old Frisian niār (“nearer”), Dutch naar (“to, towards”), German näher (“nearer”), Danish nær (“near, close”), Norwegian nær (“near, close”) Swedish nära (“near, close”). See also nigh. Near appears to be derived from (or at the very least influenced by) the North Germanic languages; compare Danish nær (“near, close”), Norwegian nær (“near, close”) Swedish nära (“near, close”), as opposed to nigh, which continues the inherited West Germanic adjective, like Dutch na (“close, near”), German nah (“close, near, nearby”), Luxembourgish no (“nearby, near, close”). Both, however, are ultimately derived from the same Proto-Germanic root: *nēhw (“near, close”).
adjective
near (comparative nearer, superlative nearest)
Physically close.
Close in time.
Closely connected or related.
Close to one's interests, affection, etc.; intimate; dear.
Close to anything followed or imitated; not free, loose, or rambling.
So as barely to avoid or pass injury or loss; close; narrow.
Approximate, almost.
(British, in relation to a vehicle) On the side nearest to the kerb (the left-hand side if one drives on the left).
(dated) Next to the driver, when he is on foot; (US) on the left of an animal or a team.
(obsolete) Immediate; direct; close; short.
(now rare) Stingy; parsimonious. [from 17th c.]
(programming, not comparable) Within the currently selected segment in a segmented memory architecture.
Examples
Synonym: close
Antonym: remote
I can't see near objects very clearly without my glasses.
Stay near at all times.
Ts'ai Ch'ien 蔡乾 was born in 1908 in Changhua near Taichung, Taiwan .
The end is near.
The deceased man had no near relatives.
she is thy fathers neere kinswoman.
A matter of near consequence to me.
a near friend
a version near to the original
a near escape
The two words are near synonyms.
Antonym: off
The near front wheel came loose.
the near ox; the near leg
Toward ſolid good what leads the neareſt way;
Don't be near with your pocketbook.
[T]o let you know, Miss, he's so near, it's partly a wonder how he lives at all: and yet he's worth a power of money, too.
Antonym: far
a near pointer
Related words
synonyms
(physically close): see also Thesaurus:near
(almost): nigh, quasi-
antonyms
(antonym(s) of "physically close"): see also Thesaurus:distant
(antonym(s) of "side of an animal or vehicle"): off
adverb
near (comparative nearer, superlative nearest)
At or towards a position close in space or time. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
Nearly; almost.
Examples
He was near unconscious when I found him.
I jumped into the near-freezing water.
I near ruptured myself trying to move the piano.
[…] he hears for certain that the Queen-Mother is about and hath near finished a peace with France […]
Sir John Friend had very near completed a regiment of horse.
Peter ran after them as fast as his legs would carry him, but at last he had only one of the hares left, and when this was gone, he was very near burst with running.
Thinking about those pounds and pence, I near forgot my wound.
"I damn near forgot." He pulled an envelope from his jacket.
The fire was almost dead, the chamber near dark.
preposition
near
Physically close to, in close proximity to.
Close to in time.
Close to in nature or degree.
Examples
There are habitable planets orbiting many of the stars near our Sun.
He entered the inn, and asking for dinner, unbuckled his wallet, and sat down to rest himself near the door.
This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything.
It shied, balked, and whinnied, and in the end he could do nothing but drive it into the yard while the men used their own strength to get the heavy wagon near enough the hayloft for convenient pitching.
Most of the Himalayan rivers have been relatively untouched by dams near their sources. Now the two great Asian powers, India and China, are rushing to harness them as they cut through some of the world's deepest valleys.
The voyage was near completion.
His opinions are near the limit of what is acceptable.
There was no way Brín felt anything anywhere near what I felt for him. He saw me as a friend.
Related words
antonyms
far from
verb
near (third-person singular simple present nears, present participle nearing, simple past and past participle neared)
(transitive, intransitive) To come closer to; to approach.
Examples
The ship nears the land.
We started back in the same conditions, and for part of the journey ran through semi-darkness, but the sun appeared once again as we neared London.
As he neared a bridge over the East Coast Main Line near Great Heck, he lost control. His Land Rover left the carriageway and veered onto the hard shoulder before biting into the grass verge.
noun
near (plural nears)
The left side of a horse or of a team of horses pulling a carriage etc.
Examples
Synonym: near side
Antonym: off side