Crossword Dictionary

NEAR

near, close, nigh - a 
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" 

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Synonyms

adjacent, adjoining, immediate, nearby, neighboring, warm, abutting, bordering, burning, close, nigh, ready, touching

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Examples

Her children went back every year to stay in a farmhouse near the cottage.

He went back into the bedroom, slipped into the nearer bed, and said goodnight.

It would appear that the legal profession is the nearest thing to a recession-proof industry.

collinsdictionary

Etymology

Old English near "closer, nearer," comparative of neah, neh"nigh." Partially by the influence of Old Norse naer "near," it came to be used in English as a positive form mid-13c., and new comparative nearer developed in the 1500s (see nigh). Originally an adverb but now supplanted in most such senses by nearly; it has in turn supplanted correct nigh as an adjective.

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