neighbor

/ˈneɪbər/

/ˈneɪbə/

Other forms: neighbors; neighboring; neighbored

A neighbor is a nearby person or thing. Be kind to your neighbor, for you never know when you will need to borrow sugar, a shovel, or the spare key to your house.

The noun neighbor, spelled neahgebur in Old English, translates to “near” “dweller” when broken down into its individual parts. It makes sense, then, that neighbor refers to a nearby person, place, or thing. “It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose yours,” quipped Harry S. Truman, the 33rd American president.

Definitions of neighbor

1. noun

   a person who lives (or is located) near another
   synonyms: neighbour

   type of:

   individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul

   a human being
2. noun

   a nearby object of the same kind
   “Fort Worth is a neighbor of Dallas”

   “what is the closest neighbor to the Earth?”

   synonyms: neighbour

   type of:

   object, physical object

   a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
3. verb

   be located near or adjacent to
   “Pakistan neighbors India”

   synonyms: neighbour

   type of:

   abut, adjoin, border, butt, butt against, butt on, edge, march

   lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
4. verb

   live or be located as a neighbor
   “the neighboring house”

   synonyms: neighbour

   type of:

   dwell, inhabit, live, populate

   inhabit or live in; be an inhabitant of