1
: immediately adjacent (as in place, rank, or time)
2
: any other considered hypothetically
knew it as well as the next man
see also next to nothing
: nearest or adjacent to
1
: in the time, place, or order nearest or immediately succeeding
next we drove home
the next closest school
2
: on the first occasion to come
when next we meet
: one that is next
from one day to the next
Synonyms
Examples of next in a Sentence
Adjective
I'll see you next Monday.
Next year's party will be even better.
the very next thing that happened
Can I help the next person in line? Who's next?
We could hear people talking in the next room.
At the next set of lights, turn left.
I need the next size up.
The next time we will see each other will be on our wedding day.
Next time, please remember to bring your books to class.
She knew the answer as well as the next person.
Adverb
Next, I need to ask you a few questions about your family.
Recent Examples on the Web
Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
The trust would be funded in installments over several years, beginning with an initial installment of about $65 million and growing by $10 million to $13 million for the next several years.
—Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
Carlos Mejia, PCMAG, 11 Nov. 2024
The movie, hailing from Disney’s 20th Century Studios, is set to hit theaters next year.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024
Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
The Chargers have three-straight home games coming up next – two of which are in primetime against other AFC playoff hopefuls the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas News, 8 Mar. 2023
So bouncing from one tone and genre to the next creates a whiplash effect, even though some of the episodes — that fourth one in particular — are quite good.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2023
See all Example Sentences for next 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
For the next few years, the United States will speak with one voice on foreign policy, and that voice will be Trump’s.
—Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
The trust would be funded in installments over several years, beginning with an initial installment of about $65 million and growing by $10 million to $13 million for the next several years.
—Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
Preposition
While rumors continue to circulate that Microsoft will finally dip its tech toes into handheld gaming next year, 2024 is still filled with enough Xbox sales on gaming peripherals to get any gamer going to the checkout.
—Carlos Mejia, PCMAG, 11 Nov. 2024
The movie, hailing from Disney’s 20th Century Studios, is set to hit theaters next year.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024
Adverb
With Trump’s decisive victory in the election, these admirers of the long arc of the United States’ democratic journey, if not necessarily all its global policies, now fear what might come next for the country and, by extension, democracies across the world.
—Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
The Chargers have three-straight home games coming up next – two of which are in primetime against other AFC playoff hopefuls the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
One sport to the next sees what the other has done and wants some of the same stuff.
—Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas News, 8 Mar. 2023
So bouncing from one tone and genre to the next creates a whiplash effect, even though some of the episodes — that fourth one in particular — are quite good.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2023
See all Example Sentences for next
Dictionary Entries Near next
Cite this Entry
“Next.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/next. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
next
1 of 3 adjective
: coming immediately before or following
the next page
the house next to ours
next
2 of 3 preposition(ˈ)nekst
next
3 of 3 adverbˈnekst
1
: in the nearest time, place, or order following
open this package next
2
: at the first time to come after this
when next we meet
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