10 ADJ [ADJ n] You use near to indicate that something is almost the thing mentioned. □ She was believed to have died in near poverty on the French Riviera. □ …the 48-year-old who was brought in to rescue the bank from near collapse. ● ADV [ADV adj] Near is also an adverb. □ …his near fatal accident two years ago.
11 ADJ [ADJ n] In a contest, your nearest rival or challenger is the person or team that is most likely to defeat you. □ That victory put the Ukrainians beyond the reach of their nearest challengers, Dynamo Moscow.
12 VERB [no passive] When you near a place, you get quite near to it. [LITERARY ] □ [V n] As he neared the stable, he slowed the horse and patted it on the neck.
13 VERB [no passive] When someone or something nears a particular stage or point, they will soon reach that stage or point. □ [V n] His age was hard to guess–he must have been nearing fifty. □ [V n] The project is taking a long time but is now nearing completion.
14 VERB You say that an important time or event nears when it is going to occur quite soon. [LITERARY ] □ [V ] As half time neared, Hardyman almost scored twice.
15 PHRASE People sometimes refer to their close relatives and friends as their nearest and dearest . □ …that English convention of not showing your feelings, even to your nearest and dearest.
16 PHRASE You use near and far to indicate that you are referring to a very large area or distance. □ People would gather from near and far.
17 PHRASE If you say that something will happen in the near future , you mean that it will happen quite soon. □ The controversy regarding vitamin C is unlikely to be resolved in the near future.
18 PHRASE You use nowhere near and not anywhere near to emphasize that something is not the case. [EMPHASIS ] □ They are nowhere near good enough. □ It was nowhere near as painful as David had expected.
near|by ◆◇◇ /n I ə r ba I / also near by , near-by ADV [ADV after v, n ADV , from ADV ] If something is nearby, it is only a short distance away. □ He might easily have been seen by someone who lived nearby. □ There is less expensive accommodation nearby. □ There were one or two suspicious looks from nearby. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Nearby is also an adjective. □ At a nearby table a man was complaining in a loud voice. □ …the nearby village of Crowthorne.
nea r-death ex|pe ri|ence (near-death experiences ) N‑COUNT A near-death experience is a strange experience that some people who have nearly died say they had when they were unconscious.
Nea r E a st N‑PROPER The Near East is the same as the Middle East .
near|ly ◆◆◇ /n I ə r li/
1 ADV [ADV before v] Nearly is used to indicate that something is not quite the case, or not completely the case. □ Goldsworth stared at me in silence for nearly twenty seconds. □ Hunter knew nearly all of this already. □ Several times Thorne nearly fell. □ I nearly had a heart attack when she told me. □ The beach was nearly empty. □ They nearly always ate outside.
2 ADV [ADV before v] Nearly is used to indicate that something will soon be the case. □ It was already nearly eight o'clock. □ I was nearly asleep. □ The voyage is nearly over. □ You're nearly there. □ I've nearly finished the words for your song.
3 PHRASE You use not nearly to emphasize that something is not the case. [EMPHASIS ] □ Father's flat in Paris wasn't nearly as grand as this. □ Minerals in general are not nearly so well absorbed as other nutrients. □ British car workers did not earn nearly enough money to buy the products they were turning out. SYNONYMS nearly ADV 1
practically: He'd known the old man practically all his life.
almost: The couple had been dating for almost three years.
virtually: Virtually all cooking was done over coal-fired ranges.
nea r|ly ne w ADJ [usu ADJ n] Nearly new items are items for sale that have belonged to another person but have not been used much and are still in very good condition. A nearly new shop sells nearly new items.
nea r mi ss (near misses ) also near-miss
1 N‑COUNT You can say that there is a near miss when something is nearly hit by another thing, for example by a vehicle or a bomb. □ [+ between ] Details have been given of a near miss between two airliners over southern England earlier this week. □ We've had a few near misses in the raids, as I expect you've noticed.
2 N‑COUNT A near miss is an attempt to do something which fails by a very small amount. □ [+ in ] …Milan's successful defence of the European Cup and near-miss in the Italian championship last season.
near|side /n I ə r sa I d/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] The nearside wheels, lights, or doors of a vehicle are those nearest the edge of the road when the vehicle is being driven on the correct side of the road. In Britain, the nearside is on the left. [BRIT ] □ The nearside front tyre had been slashed.
2 N‑SING The nearside of a vehicle is the side that is nearest the edge of the road when the vehicle is being driven on the correct side of the road. [BRIT ] □ It hit the kerb on the nearside and seemed to ricochet across the road on two wheels.
nea r-si ghted also nearsighted ADJ Someone who is near-sighted cannot see distant things clearly. [AM , also BRIT , OLD-FASHIONED ] □ The girl squinted at the photograph. She seemed to be nearsighted.