neighbor

[ ney-ber ]
See synonyms for neighbor on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who lives near another: My next door neighbor has an orange cat.

  2. a person or thing that is near another.

  1. one's fellow human being: You must be generous toward your less fortunate neighbors.

  2. a person who shows kindliness or helpfulness toward others: She's always a neighbor to people in distress.

  3. (used as a term of address, especially as a friendly greeting to a stranger): Tell me, neighbor, which way to town?

adjective
  1. situated or living near another: One of our neighbor nations is in need of aid.

verb (used with object)
  1. to live or be situated near to; adjoin; border on: Germany neighbors Denmark.

  2. to place or bring near.

verb (used without object)
  1. to live or be situated nearby.

  2. to associate with or as if with one's neighbors; be neighborly or friendly (often followed by with).

Origin of neighbor

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English neahgebūr, nēahbūr (nēahnigh + (ge)būr “farmer”; see Boer, boor); akin to Dutch nabuur, German Nachbar, Old Norse nābūi
  • Also especially British, neigh·bour .

Other words from neighbor

  • neigh·bor·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use neighbor in a sentence

  • The neighbours were very kind and gave the family shelter and food until Alila and his father had finished building a cabin.

  • Larry was always proud and uppish, and carried his head a foot higher than his neighbours.

    The World Before Them | Susanna Moodie
  • I suppose you think I shall enjoy telling my neighbours, when they ask me what my elder boy is doing, that he's—ah—in prison.

    First Plays | A. A. Milne
  • Thus her neighbours talked of Dorothy, suggesting the worst motives as the cause of her recent adventure.

    The World Before Them | Susanna Moodie
  • A “saloon,” however, cannot now be established in defiance of the general wishes of the neighbours.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman