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
: nearest or adjacent to
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
: one that is next
from one day to the next
Synonyms
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
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 Jan. 2025
It is expected to have similar performance to the Polestar 5, and a version called the LA Concept edition has already sold out, with a standard version due to follow when production begins next year.
—Alistair Charlton, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
Grace Miserocchi, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025
There’s also the possibility President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, which will take over from President Joe Biden’s administration next Monday, will swiftly rescind the NIL fact sheet.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 17 Jan. 2025
John Blake, CNN, 19 Jan. 2025
No-one can fully control what happens next, not ByteDance and not even Donal Trump — there are too many moving parts.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
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
See all Example Sentences for next 
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show current usage.
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Adjective
The package includes $48.7 million allocated for the next fiscal year, targeting film exports, video game startups, grassroots music venues, and creative enterprises outside London.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 Jan. 2025
It is expected to have similar performance to the Polestar 5, and a version called the LA Concept edition has already sold out, with a standard version due to follow when production begins next year.
—Alistair Charlton, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
Preposition
The evidence phase of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s corruption trial drew to a close Thursday after nearly three months of testimony — some from Madigan himself — clearing the way for closing arguments next week.
—Grace Miserocchi, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025
There’s also the possibility President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, which will take over from President Joe Biden’s administration next Monday, will swiftly rescind the NIL fact sheet.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 17 Jan. 2025
Adverb
Those who study the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. know what happened next.
—John Blake, CNN, 19 Jan. 2025
No-one can fully control what happens next, not ByteDance and not even Donal Trump — there are too many moving parts.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 19 Jan. 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
See all Example Sentences for next
Dictionary Entries Near next
Cite this Entry
“Next.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/next. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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 adverbˈnekst
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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