near
- close
talking about short distances
If something is near, near to, or close to a place or thing, it is a short distance from it. When close has this meaning, it is pronounced /kləʊs/.
I live in Reinfeld, which is near Lübeck.
I stood very near to them.
They owned a cottage close to the sea.
When near and close have this meaning, don't use them immediately in front of a noun. Instead use nearby.
He was taken to a nearby hospital.
He threw the bag into some nearby bushes.
However, the superlative form nearest can be used immediately in front of a noun.
They hurried to the nearest exit.
meaning ‘almost’
You can use near immediately in front of a noun to say that something is almost a particular thing.
The country is in a state of near chaos.
We drove to the station in near silence.
You can also use near immediately in front of an adjective and a noun to say that something almost has a particular quality.
It was a near fatal accident.
The Government faces a near impossible dilemma.
You can use near, near to, or close to immediately in front of a noun to say that someone or something is almost in a particular state.
Her father was angry, her mother near tears.
When she saw him again, he was near to death.
She was close to tears.
talking about friends and relatives
You can refer to someone you know well as a ‘close friend’.
His father was a close friend of Peter Thorneycroft.
Don't refer to someone as a ‘near friend’.
You can refer to someone who is directly related to you as a ‘close relative’.
She had no very close relatives.
You can also refer to someone as a ‘near relative’, but this is less common.
Be careful
Don't confuse the adjective ‘close’ with the verb close /kləʊz/. If you close something, you move it so that it fills a hole or gap.
Don't confuse the adjective ‘close’ with the verb close /kləʊz/. If you close something, you move it so that it fills a hole or gap.
➜ See close - closed - shut