next to

1 of 2

preposition

1

: immediately following or adjacent to

2

: in comparison to

next to you I'm wealthy

next to

2 of 2

adverb

: very nearly : almost

it was next to impossible to see in the fog

Synonyms

Preposition

• about
• around
• by
• near
• nigh

Adverb

• about
• all but
• almost
• borderline
• fair [chiefly British]
• fairly
• feckly [chiefly Scottish]
• more or less
• most
• much
• near
• nearly
• nigh
• practically
• somewhere
• virtually
• well-nigh

Examples of next to in a Sentence

Preposition

enjoys living next to the ocean

next to the war, the flagging economy was the biggest campaign issue

Adverb

bought it for next to nothing

Recent Examples on the Web

Preposition

Jack and Charles are there, seemingly as the only representatives from the season, and stalwart faithfuls Susan and Kathy are right next to them. —Alice Burton, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2024

Price’s notice to the sheriff on Friday comes nearly three years to the day after Monk, 45, was declared dead after being found face-down in his cell next to a puddle of urine and uneaten food, according to a lawsuit filed by his family that resulted in a $7 million settlement with the county. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024

Adverb

The left winglet of a Boeing 757 clipped the horizontal stabilizer of an empty Delta Air Lines Bombardier CRJ-900 that was parked next to it, the FAA said. —Travis Andersen, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Mar. 2023

Mulaney crouches next to his son, who is wearing a red and gray striped onesie. —Georgia Slater, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Preposition

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1596, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

next to

1 of 2 preposition

: immediately following : being close to

next to the head of her class

next to

2 of 2 adverb

: very nearly : almost