Meaning & use
nearby
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Situated a short distance away; close in position.
Grammar: Used before a noun: a nearby town. It does not usually come after a linking verb.
Patterns
- nearby + noun
We stayed in a nearby hotel.
The nearby shops are all closed on Sundays.
She walked to a nearby park.
adverb
A short distance away; close by.
Grammar: Used after a verb or at the end of a clause: They live nearby.
Patterns
- live nearby
- stay nearby
- somewhere nearby
My parents live nearby.
Is there a pharmacy nearby?
We parked nearby and walked to the station.
Common combinations
- nearby town
- The nearby town has a famous market.
- nearby residents
- Nearby residents complained about the noise.
- live nearby
- Her brother lives nearby.
- somewhere nearby
- Let's find somewhere nearby to eat.
Synonyms and how they differ
- close
- Close can mean near in distance or in relationship, while nearby usually means only a short physical distance.
- neighboring
- Neighboring means next to or very close, often used for towns or countries, while nearby is more general.
- adjacent
- Adjacent is formal and means next to something, sharing a border or wall; nearby is less exact.
Opposites
Word family
- near adjective
- Close in distance or time.
- nearness noun
- The state of being close.
Commonly confused: nearby or near by?
nearby vs near by
Near by as two words is old-fashioned and rare; write nearby as one word.
Practice
Which sentence uses nearby correctly?
Choose one answer.
Nearby works as an adjective before a noun, as in 'a nearby village'. 'Nearby the park' and 'nearby to me' need 'near' instead, and 'nearby Paris' is wrong because Paris is not nearby in a general sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nearby”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.