1
: one living or located near another
had lunch with her next-door neighbor
2
: fellow man
thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself—
Matthew 19:19 (King James Version)
Matthew 19:19 (King James Version)
: being immediately adjoining or relatively near
Synonyms
Examples of neighbor in a Sentence
Noun
We invited our friends and neighbors.
Canada is a neighbor of the U.S.
Venus is Earth's nearest neighbor.
Verb
the baseball field neighbors a parking lot
Recent Examples on the WebKaren Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Cullen took that knowledge and passion to her own garden, but the couple were busy traveling the continent in their motor home and didn’t get started on the front yard until the liquidambar tree roots — now heading toward their neighbors — became an obvious problem.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Plans for Television City headquarters Owners of Television City have scaled back plans for a $1.25-billion upgrade of the legendary studio lot in response to neighbors’ concerns.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
By this point, too, because Mary’s condition had forced the couple to repeatedly decline invitations for social interactions with friends and neighbors, many of them had stopped reaching out altogether.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
In an apartment house in Manhattan’s East Village, a resident from more earthquake-prone California calmed nervous neighbors.
—Jennifer Peltz, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Over a glass of local wine, Christian was sharing stories of special time spent with his partner and their neighbors enjoying the off-season magic of the villa and this region during the holidays.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Apr. 2024
The landfill proposed for the southern tip of Kansas City has faced fierce opposition from residents in Raymore, Grandview, Belton and Lee’s Summit, who argue the project would hurt the health of their neighbors and property values.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024
From Lindsey Buckingham to Joe Walsh Although Buckingham was no longer in Fleetwood Mac, the band's bassist John McVie was still a neighbor.
—Melissa Girimonte, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
Amy Dickinson, Chicago Tribune, 17 Nov. 2022
Kayla Keegan, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
Every few weeks, Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Israel to express increasing concern about Israel’s war actions, and to neighboring Arab states to try to persuade them to help find a way to forge a postwar peace plan that Jerusalem couldn’t refuse.
—Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
The State Department pulled more than 130 U.S. citizens out of Port-au-Prince last week and is currently arranging departures for Americans from the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince to the neighboring Dominican Republic and Cap-Haitien, where Maalouf’s appeared to be staying, via helicopter.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
To encourage its use, the rule requires no zoning variances, hearings or notifications to neighboring homeowners, just an administrative OK from the county zoning division.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
Adolescents there were far less likely to end up with a felony record than anywhere except for neighboring Cumberland County, according to a data analysis by The New York Times and The Bangor Daily News.
—Callie Ferguson Ashley L. Conti, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
The tech boom of nearby Silicon Valley and the opulence of neighboring Marin County feel like universes away.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 28 Mar. 2024
Best Hotels and Resorts Unlike neighboring Bora Bora, known for its luxury over-water bungalows popular with honeymooners, Ra'iātea's accommodation options are much more laid-back, often for a fraction of the price.
—Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 24 Mar. 2024
Fanon tied his fate to the FLN and was expelled from Algeria in early 1957, becoming part of the resistance in exile in neighboring Tunisia.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
Noun
And unlike Washington’s prior interventions to make peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the United States has no leverage at all against Hamas, a terrorist organization that is still holding upward of 100 hostages, including a handful of Americans.
—Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Cullen took that knowledge and passion to her own garden, but the couple were busy traveling the continent in their motor home and didn’t get started on the front yard until the liquidambar tree roots — now heading toward their neighbors — became an obvious problem.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Plans for Television City headquarters Owners of Television City have scaled back plans for a $1.25-billion upgrade of the legendary studio lot in response to neighbors’ concerns.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
By this point, too, because Mary’s condition had forced the couple to repeatedly decline invitations for social interactions with friends and neighbors, many of them had stopped reaching out altogether.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
In an apartment house in Manhattan’s East Village, a resident from more earthquake-prone California calmed nervous neighbors.
—Jennifer Peltz, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Over a glass of local wine, Christian was sharing stories of special time spent with his partner and their neighbors enjoying the off-season magic of the villa and this region during the holidays.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Apr. 2024
The landfill proposed for the southern tip of Kansas City has faced fierce opposition from residents in Raymore, Grandview, Belton and Lee’s Summit, who argue the project would hurt the health of their neighbors and property values.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024
From Lindsey Buckingham to Joe Walsh Although Buckingham was no longer in Fleetwood Mac, the band's bassist John McVie was still a neighbor.
—Melissa Girimonte, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Some non-neighbor friends are appalled.
—Amy Dickinson, Chicago Tribune, 17 Nov. 2022
Verb
Alternatively, visitors can walk by to see the exterior and enjoy a bird’s-eye view of Soho House from a neighboring rooftop bar.
—Kayla Keegan, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
Every few weeks, Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Israel to express increasing concern about Israel’s war actions, and to neighboring Arab states to try to persuade them to help find a way to forge a postwar peace plan that Jerusalem couldn’t refuse.
—Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
The State Department pulled more than 130 U.S. citizens out of Port-au-Prince last week and is currently arranging departures for Americans from the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince to the neighboring Dominican Republic and Cap-Haitien, where Maalouf’s appeared to be staying, via helicopter.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
To encourage its use, the rule requires no zoning variances, hearings or notifications to neighboring homeowners, just an administrative OK from the county zoning division.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
Adolescents there were far less likely to end up with a felony record than anywhere except for neighboring Cumberland County, according to a data analysis by The New York Times and The Bangor Daily News.
—Callie Ferguson Ashley L. Conti, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
The tech boom of nearby Silicon Valley and the opulence of neighboring Marin County feel like universes away.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 28 Mar. 2024
Best Hotels and Resorts Unlike neighboring Bora Bora, known for its luxury over-water bungalows popular with honeymooners, Ra'iātea's accommodation options are much more laid-back, often for a fraction of the price.
—Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 24 Mar. 2024
Fanon tied his fate to the FLN and was expelled from Algeria in early 1957, becoming part of the resistance in exile in neighboring Tunisia.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'neighbor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun, Adjective, and Verb
Middle English, from Old English nēahgebūr (akin to Old High German nāhgibūr); akin to Old English nēah near and Old English gebūr dweller — more at nigh, boor
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
1530, in the meaning defined above
Verb
circa 1586, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Time Traveler
The first known use of neighbor was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing neighbor
Articles Related to neighbor
Dictionary Entries Near neighbor
Cite this Entry
“Neighbor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neighbor. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
neighbor
1 of 2 noun
neigh·bor
ˈnā-bər 
1
: a person who lives near another
2
: a person or thing located near another
Canada is a neighbor of the U.S.
3
: a fellow human being
neighbor
2 of 2 verb
neighbored; neighboring
-b(ə-)riŋ
: to be next to or near to
neighboring towns
Etymology
Noun
Old English nēahgebūr "neighbor," from nēah "near" + gebūr "dweller" — related to near, nigh
Word Origin
The words near and nigh are both related to—and have the same meaning as—the Old English word nēah. Another word which can be traced, at least in part, to nēah is neighbor. The combination of nēah, meaning "near," and gebūr, meaning "dweller," produced the Old English word nēahgebūr. This word was used for "a person living near another." The pronunciation and spelling of nēahgebūr has changed over the centuries to give us neighbor, but the word's basic meaning has remained the same.
More from Merriam-Webster on neighbor
Nglish: Translation of neighbor for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of neighbor for Arabic Speakers
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