next

1 of 4

adjective

ˈnekst 

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

Synonyms

Adjective

• coming
• ensuing
• following
• succeeding

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

American hotel giants are moving aggressively into India, seeing it as the next frontier for growth. —Ronak D. Desai, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Court records show his next court date is on Monday, April 1. —Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Preposition

That campaign began this month at SXSW when Valenti and Salke together vowed to release a slate of 12-14 theatrical releases next year, and potentially 16 by 2027. —Brian Welk, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2025

The Raptors are already committed to spending a lot on players next year. —Eric Koreen, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

Adverb

Because up next for the Heat are the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night at TD Garden, the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night at Kaseya Center and then the Milwaukee Bucks at home on Saturday night. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2025

Lost 4-3 to Castro Valley Up next: Tuesday vs. Encinal, 4:30 p.m. —Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025

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

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

Phrases Containing next

• better luck next time
• cleanliness is next to godliness
• from one day to the next
• from one minute to the next
• from one moment to the next
• girl next door
• in the next life
• next best
• next door
• next-door neighbor
• next door to
• next friend
• next-gen
• next generation
• next-level
• next of kin
• next to
• next to last
• next to nothing
• the boy/girl next door
• the next best thing
• the next big thing
• the next couple of
• the next life
• the next man/person
• the next thing I knew
• week after next

Rhymes for next

• flexed
• sexed
• text
• vexed
• ciphertext
• hypertext
• multiplexed
• teletext
• complexed
• deflexed
• perplexed
• plaintext

Kids Definition

next

1 of 3 adjective

ˈnekst 

: coming immediately before or following

the next page

the house next to ours

next

2 of 3 preposition

(ˈ)nekst

: next to entry 1

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