next

1 of 4

adjective

1
: immediately adjacent (as in place, rank, or time)
2
: any other considered hypothetically
knew it as well as the next man

see also next to nothing

next

2 of 4

preposition

: nearest or adjacent to

next

3 of 4

adverb

1
: in the time, place, or order nearest or immediately succeeding
next we drove home
the next closest school
2
: on the first occasion to come
when next we meet

next

4 of 4

noun

: one that is next
from one day to the next

Examples of next in a Sentence

Adjective I'll see you next Monday. Next year's party will be even better. the very next thing that happened Can I help the next person in line? Who's next? We could hear people talking in the next room. At the next set of lights, turn left. I need the next size up. The next time we will see each other will be on our wedding day. Next time, please remember to bring your books to class. She knew the answer as well as the next person. Adverb Next, I need to ask you a few questions about your family.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Things are beginning to return to normal for the growing and thriving community, Bautista said, but noted that residents, many of whom still live with the emotional trauma of leaving their original home, are likely bracing themselves for the next natural disaster. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 27 Apr. 2024 Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort Orlando, Florida Take your next theme park vacation up a notch with a stay at Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort. Beth Luberecki, USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2024 Ariana Grande is offering up some behind-the-scenes footage as fans eagerly await her next single. Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 27 Apr. 2024 After being targeted in their 109-97 game one loss, Luka Doncic turned up his defensive intensity and the team followed holding the Clippers under 100 points in each of the next two games. Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Apr. 2024 The Current will travel to Houston next Sunday, May 5, to take on the Dash in a match scheduled to kick off at noon Central Time. Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2024 The next night, Folt appeared at a $550-per-person alumni gala in a Fairmont Century Plaza ballroom. Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024 As Channing Tatum marks his 44th birthday on April 26, what's next for the movie star? Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024 That office completed autopsies of their bodies over the next three days and released them to the Rhoden and Gilley families. The Enquirer, 15 Apr. 2024
Preposition
Samsung is planning to bring select Galaxy AI features to several older flagship phones and tablets next month via the One UI 6.1 update, according to 9to5Google and Android Central, both of which referred to a post from a Samsung representative who posted on the company’s community forum in Korea. Amrita Khalid, The Verge, 13 Apr. 2024 The rate increase is expected to be approved after the ordinance receives its second reading next month. Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 13 Apr. 2024 That likely will happen at their spring meetings next month in the Phoenix area. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024 The council also recommended that the California Fish and Game Commission close down inland fishing for salmon on the state’s rivers at a meeting next month. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024 More than 200 million people are within driving range of the upcoming eclipse the letter noted, highlighting the potential for out-of-the-ordinary traffic safety issues next week. Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 5 Apr. 2024 Angelina Jolie, Regina King, and a movie about Donald Trump could be major Academy Awards contenders next year. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024 School officials in Indiana are looking forward to class without the buzz of cellphones next school year. Kirsten Adair, NPR, 3 Apr. 2024 April is just around the corner, meaning new titles will arrive on Disney’s streaming platform next month. Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Adverb
Doug Freitas, an almond grower who owns property in areas governed by three different groundwater agencies, said each agency has been talking about what to do next. Amy Taxin, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024 Questions have swirled in the Missouri Capitol about what the committee will do next. Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024 Louisville Metro Council's Labor, Economic Development, and Appropriations Committee tabled discussion of the TIF ordinance at its April 16 meeting and is next set to meet May 7. Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 17 Apr. 2024 The Lyrids will next peak between April 21 to 22 this year and is active from April 15 to 29. Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2024 In came Nicky Rothschild Hilton in a flowing floral chiffon look from the label; next came Ivy Getty in a semi-sheer diamanté encrusted dress. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2024 Although most of Iran’s missiles were intercepted by Israel, according to Israeli military officials, GasBuddy’s De Haan remains hesitant about what could happen to gas prices next. Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 15 Apr. 2024 And there’s something quite exciting about the celebrity not being able to prepare anything, not knowing what’s going to come next. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024 Among those who believe in NATO’s mission, there is deep fear about what comes next. John Hudson, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Noun
One sport to the next sees what the other has done and wants some of the same stuff. Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas News, 8 Mar. 2023 So bouncing from one tone and genre to the next creates a whiplash effect, even though some of the episodes — that fourth one in particular — are quite good. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2023 The numbers are higher globally: One-quarter of consumers intend to buy an EV next. Stephen Wilmot, WSJ, 11 Mar. 2022 Because the multi-racial categories are relatively new to the census and have changed since they were introduced, an apples-to-apples comparison of data collected from one census year to the next becomes complicated, if not impossible. Hannah Drown, cleveland, 21 Aug. 2021 Your organization should have a plan for how to manage the alarm in the foreseeable future — in the new next. Curtis Odom, Forbes, 7 June 2021 For so many others, there is no longer a something-to-do-next. Ai Weiwei, The Atlantic, 2 June 2020 The liminal spaces that represent transitions between one point in time and the next are needed even more today, during turmoil and stay-at-home orders caused by the coronavirus, say proponents. oregonlive, 28 Apr. 2020 On Thursday, one plane after the next was landing at an American Airlines facility in Tulsa. David Gelles, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'next.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English nīehst, superlative of nēah nigh — more at nigh

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of next was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near next

Cite this Entry

“Next.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/next. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

next

1 of 3 adjective
: coming immediately before or following
the next page
the house next to ours

next

2 of 3 preposition
(ˈ)nekst

next

3 of 3 adverb
ˈnekst
1
: in the nearest time, place, or order following
open this package next
2
: at the first time to come after this
when next we meet

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