The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - nearadv.

1) close (by or at hand) , not far (off or away) , nearby, nigh, in or into the vicinity or neighbourhood, within (easy) reach: Draw near and listen to my tale. 2) close to, next to: Don't go near the edge! 3 nearly, almost, just about, wellnigh, close to being; not quite, virtually: She was damn near killed in the car crash. --adj. 4) close, imminent, immediate, impending, looming, coming, approaching, forthcoming; in the offing, at hand: We hope to settle the pollution problem in the near future. The time is near for me to go. 5) nearby, close, adjacent, next-door, close-by, adjoining, abutting, neighbouring, contiguous: My nearest neighbours live a mile away. 6) stingy, mean, niggardly, miserly, parsimonious, penurious, cheap, penny-pinching, cheese-paring, selfish, close, tight-fisted, close-fisted: He is so near he begrudged me even a cup of tea. 7) close, intimate, connected, related, attached: In case of emergency, list the name and address of a near relative. 8) close, narrow, hairbreadth: Although I escaped, it was a near thing. --prep. 9) close to, in the vicinity or neighbourhood of, next to, adjacent to, within reach of, within a mile of; a stone's throw from, not far (away) from: She wouldn't allow the doctor to come near her. I live near the railway. --v. 1) 0 approach, draw near or nigh, come close or closer, verge on, approximate on, lean towards: As summer nears, I think of going on holiday. The ship neared port. His estimate is beginning to near mine.