neighbor
/ˈnā-bər/ (ame, mw)
neighbor — noun
1. The way people in the United States write the word that in British English is sp
The way people in the United States write the word that in British English is spelled neighbour. The two spellings share the same meaning.
My American friend wrote 'neighbor' without the letter u.
American spelling vs British neighbour
The sixth-grade English textbook in Hassan's school uses the American spelling 'neighbor' throughout.
Brits write 'neighbour' with a u, but Americans prefer the shorter 'neighbor.'
When writing a formal report for a US audience, use the shorter spelling 'neighbor.'
文法句型
someone's neighbor
用法筆記
The British spelling 'neighbour' (with a 'u' before the 'r') is standard in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The American spelling 'neighbor' is used in the United States and increasingly in international digital contexts.
2. Someone whose home is next to or very close to your home — for instance, the per
Someone whose home is next to or very close to your home — for instance, the person in the apartment across the hall or the family two houses down the street.
Henrik borrowed a ladder from his neighbor across the street.
borrowed + from + neighbor
Adina and her neighbor Nellie water each other's plants during holidays.
reciprocal: each other's
The family that moved in next door have been wonderful neighbors.
When Diego went on a trip, his neighbor fed the cat every morning.
Sana invited all the neighbors on her street to a summer barbecue.
- next-door neighbor
specifically the person in the house or apartment immediately beside yours
- resident
broader — someone who lives in an area but not necessarily nearby; more formal
- stranger
someone you do not know, in contrast with a neighbor you have met
文法句型
someone's neighbor
the neighbor + relative clause
用法筆記
This is the most common meaning of neighbor. The word is typically used with a possessive (my/our/his/her neighbor) or an article + adjective (a friendly neighbor).
常見錯誤
3. A country that shares a border with another country, or is located very close to
A country that shares a border with another country, or is located very close to it across a short stretch of water.
Canada is the northern neighbor of the United States.
article + adjective + neighbor + of [country]
Iceland's closest neighbor across the Denmark Strait lies over three hundred kilometers away.
Tariq's country and its eastern neighbor signed a new trade agreement.
Bhutan depends on its larger neighbor India for trade routes and fuel imports.
- neighboring country
the more common adjectival phrase; 'neighbor' alone is shorter and less formal
- border country
less common; refers specifically to countries sharing a land border
文法句型
a country's neighbor
a neighbor of + country name
用法筆記
When used for countries, neighbor is often preceded by a direction word such as northern, southern, eastern, or western (Canada is the northern neighbor of the US).
neighbor — adjective
- neighborpositive
- more neighborcomparative
- most neighborsuperlative
1. Located right next to something else, especially a place, area, or building that
Located right next to something else, especially a place, area, or building that touches or is very close to another.
A neighbor restaurant shares a kitchen wall with the Grand View Hotel on Elm Street.
neighbor + noun: attributive position
Élise found a cheaper supermarket in a neighbor town, saving thirty percent on groceries.
The neighbor apartment building cast a long shadow over the garden in the afternoon.
The two neighbor states share the Colorado River, which provides water for millions of homes.
文法句型
neighbor + noun
用法筆記
The adjective form is much less common than the noun. In everyday speech, 'neighboring' (with -ing) is far more common: 'neighboring town', 'neighboring country'. The bare adjective 'neighbor' is mainly found in formal or journalistic writing.
常見錯誤
⚠️ 'Neighbor' as an adjective (neighbor town, neighbor states) is less common than 'neighboring' in everyday speech. The form without -ing appears mainly in formal or journalistic writing.
neighbor — verb
- neighborpresent simple I / you / we / they
- neighbors3rd person singular
- neighboring-ing form
- neighboredpast simple
1. To be situated directly beside something in physical space — for example, a piec
To be situated directly beside something in physical space — for example, a piece of land, a building, a road, or a country that shares a boundary with another.
Christopher's farm neighbors a large forest on the western side.
neighbor + direct object: a farm neighbors a forest
Their vacation home neighbors a peaceful lake in the mountains.
The old railway line neighbors the main road for about two miles.
Haruto's rice field neighbors the main road leading into town.
- border
stronger — implies touching along an edge or boundary; more common than 'neighbor' as a verb
- adjoin
very formal; used mainly in technical or legal descriptions of property
- be next to
the everyday spoken equivalent
文法句型
neighbor + noun phrase
用法筆記
This verb is formal and more common in written descriptions of land, property boundaries, and geography than in everyday conversation. For everyday speech, 'is next to' or 'borders' are more natural alternatives.
2. To live near another person or household as a resident of the same street, build
To live near another person or household as a resident of the same street, building, or neighborhood — for example, having your home next to or a few doors down from someone else's.
The Watanabe family neighbors the Yamada family on the same street.
neighbor + someone: transitive use for proximity
Linh neighbors her cousin in a duplex with a shared backyard.
neighbor + someone: people in residential proximity
The two families on Cherry Lane have neighbored each other for three generations now.
Mathieu neighbors his older sister in a building with twelve apartments.
- live near
the common everyday phrase; 'neighbor' as a verb for living nearby is very formal
- be close to
natural spoken alternative
文法句型
neighbor + near + place
neighbor + someone
用法筆記
Unlike sense 1 (BE NEXT TO), which describes physical contact or adjacency between land features and buildings, this sense refers specifically to people or households living in proximity to one another. It is rarely used in everyday speech — 'lives near' or 'is close to' are more natural alternatives.
3. To interact with the people who live near you in a friendly and helpful manner,
To interact with the people who live near you in a friendly and helpful manner, for example by sharing food, helping with tasks, or socializing together.
The residents on Hassan's street neighbor with one another at the street fair, sharing homemade dishes.
neighbor with + someone: intransitive pattern
Hoa neighbors with everyone on the block, bringing soup to the Garcia family when sick.
In small towns like the one Diego grew up in, people neighbor with each other by helping with home repairs.
Nellie grew up in a coastal village in Maine where everyone neighbored by sharing fresh catches.
- be neighborly
the common adjective-based phrase; 'neighborly' means friendly like a good neighbor
- socialize
broader — does not specifically imply neighbor relationships
文法句型
neighbor with + someone
用法筆記
This is the rarest sense of neighbor as a verb and sounds old-fashioned. It is almost never used in everyday conversation. The noun phrase 'be a good neighbor to someone' is the more common way to express this idea.