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Between vs Near - What's the difference?

between | near |

As prepositions the difference between between and near

is that between is in the position or interval that separates (two things), or intermediate in quantity or degree (see the usage notes below) while near is close to, in close proximity to.

As nouns the difference between between and near

is that between is a kind of needle, shorter than a sharp, with a small rounded eye, used for making fine stitches on heavy fabrics while near is the left side of a horse or of a team of horses pulling a carriage etc.

As an adjective near is

physically close.

As an adverb near is

having a small intervening distance with regard to something.

As a verb near is

to come closer to; to approach.

between

English

Alternative forms

* betweene (archaic) * betwene (archaic) * (abbreviation)

Preposition

(English prepositions)
  • In the position or interval that separates (two things), or intermediate in quantity or degree. (See the Usage notes below.)
  • :
  • :
  • *
  • *:Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between ; his clerks, however, understood him very well.
  • *{{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author=(Henry Petroski)
    • , title= Geothermal Energy , volume=101, issue=4, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame.}}
  • Done together or reciprocally.
  • :
  • *{{quote-book, year=1935, author= George Goodchild
    • , title=Death on the Centre Court, chapter=1 , passage=She mixed furniture with the same fatal profligacy as she mixed drinks, and this outrageous contact between things which were intended by Nature to be kept poles apart gave her an inexpressible thrill.}}
  • Shared in confidence.
  • :
  • In transit from (one to the other, or connecting places).
  • :
  • Combined (by effort or ownership).
  • :
  • :
  • One of (representing a choice).
  • :
  • :

    • Usage notes

    * Some groups of non-native speakers confuse between'' and ''among''. It is sometimes said that ''between'' usually applies to two things, while ''among'' applies to more than two things. This is not correct; according to the Oxford English Dictionary (quoted at http://eebweb.arizona.edu/faculty/chesson/between_and_among.htm) "In all senses, ''between'' has been, from its earliest appearance, extended to more than two. In OE. and ME. it was so extended in sense 1, in which ''among'' is now considered better. It is still the only word available to express the relation of a thing to many surrounding things severally and individually, ''among expressing a relation to them collectively and vaguely: we should not say ‘the space lying among the three points,’ or ‘a treaty among three powers,’ or ‘the choice lies among the three candidates in the select list,’ or ‘to insert a needle among the closed petals of a flower".

    Synonyms

    * atween (archaic) * atwix

    Derived terms

    * (between)

    See also

    * betwixt * among

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A kind of needle, shorter than a sharp, with a small rounded eye, used for making fine stitches on heavy fabrics.

    • Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * 200 English basic words 1000 English basic words

    near

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The left side of a horse or of a team of horses pulling a carriage etc.

    • Synonyms

    * near side

    Antonyms

    * off side

    See also

    * nearside

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Physically close.
  • * Dryden
    • He served great Hector, and was ever near , / Not with his trumpet only, but his spear.
  • Closely connected or related.
  • * Bible, Leviticus xviii. 12
    • She is thy father's near kinswoman.
  • Close to one's interests, affection, etc.; intimate; dear.
    • a near friend
  • Close to anything followed or imitated; not free, loose, or rambling.
    • a version near to the original
  • So as barely to avoid or pass injury or loss; close; narrow.
    • a near escape
  • (of an event) Approaching.
    • The end is near .
  • Approximate, almost.
    • The two words are near synonyms.
  • (dated) Next to the driver, when he is on foot; (US) on the left of an animal or a team.
    • the near''' ox; the '''near leg
  • (obsolete) Immediate; direct; close; short.
  • * Milton
    • the nearest way
  • (obsolete, slang) Stingy; parsimonious.

    • Antonyms

    * remote

    Derived terms

    * near abroad * near-death experience * near-Earth object * Near East * near infrared * near-minimal pair * near miss * near the knuckle * nearly * nearness

    Adverb

    (er)
  • Having a small intervening distance with regard to something.
    • I'm near -sighted.
  • (colloquial) nearly
  • * 1666 Samuel Pepys Diary and Correspondence (1867)
    • ...he hears for certain that the Queen-Mother is about and hath near finished a peace with France....
  • * 1825 David Hume, Tobias George Smollett The History of England p. 263
    • Sir John Friend had very near completed a regiment of horse.
  • * 2003 Owen Parry Honor's Kingdom p. 365
    • Thinking about those pounds and pence, I near forgot my wound.
  • * 2004 Jimmy Buffett A Salty Piece of Land p. 315, p. 35
    • "I damn near forgot." He pulled an envelope from his jacket.
  • * 2006 Juliet Marillier The Dark Mirror p. 377
    • The fire was almost dead, the chamber near dark.

    Derived terms

    * nearsighted

    Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • Close to, in close proximity to.
  • * 1820 , (Mary Shelley), :
    • He entered the inn, and asking for dinner, unbuckled his wallet, and sat down to rest himself near the door.
  • * , chapter=17
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything.}}
  • * 1927 , , :
    • It shied, balked, and whinnied, and in the end he could do nothing but drive it into the yard while the men used their own strength to get the heavy wagon near enough the hayloft for convenient pitching.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-16, author= John Vidal
    • , volume=189, issue=10, page=8, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Dams endanger ecology of Himalayas , passage=Most of the Himalayan rivers have been relatively untouched by dams near their sources. Now the two great Asian powers, India and China, are rushing to harness them as they cut through some of the world's deepest valleys.}}
  • Close to in time.
    • Usage notes
    Joan Maling (1983) shows that near'' is best analysed as an adjective with which the use of ''to'' is optional, rather than a preposition. It has the comparative and the superlative, and it can be followed by ''enough''. The use of ''to however is usually British.

    Antonyms

    * far from

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To come closer to; to approach.
    • The ship nears the land.

    See also

    * (wikipedia) * para- * nigh

    References

    * Joan Maling (1983), Transitive Adjectives: A Case of Categorial Reanalysis'', in F. Henry and B. Richards (eds.), ''Linguistic Categories: Auxiliaries and Related Puzzles , vol.1, pp. 253-289.

    Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * 100 English basic words English locatives 1000 English basic words ----