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near [ neer ] (past and past participle neared, present participle near·ing, 3rd person present singular nears, comparative near·er, superlative near·est) CORE MEANING: a grammatical word that indicates that somebody or something is at or moving toward a point that is not far away in distance
  (prep) The art exhibit is near here.
(adv) He took a step nearer to the water.
(adv) as the car drew nearer
(adj) There must be a restaurant nearer than that.
(adj) Can you tell me where the nearest telephone is? |
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1. adverb short time away: at or to a time not far away
(adv) as the time for her to leave drew near
(prep) near the end of the week
(adj) the near future
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2. adverb close: at a point that is not far away in state, resemblance, or number
(adv) a sensation near to fear
(adj) the nearest thing to a champion
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3. adverb almost: almost in a particular state or situation
(adv) near total failure
(adj) living in near poverty
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4. adjective on left: on the left side, especially of an animal or a horse-drawn vehicle
the near foreleg
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5. adjective closely related: closely related to somebody
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6. adjective miserly: reluctant to give or spend money
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archaic
)
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7. verb transitive and intransitive verb approach: to approach, or approach a particular place, time, or state
The project is nearing completion.
With the big event nearing, everyone was working hard.
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| [12th century. < Old Norse nær "nearer" < nā "near"] |
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| near·ness noun |
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so near (and) yet so far used to express frustration or regret at failure by a narrow margin
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