neighbour
/ˈneɪbə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈneɪbər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈneɪ.bər/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈneɪ.bɚ/ (ame, ipa)
neighbour — noun
- neighboursingular
- neighboursplural
1. someone whose home is near your home, for instance in the same street or in the
someone whose home is near your home, for instance in the same street or in the flat next door
Our new neighbour brought us a plate of homemade cookies on moving day.
collocation: new neighbour / next-door neighbour
Bilal asked his neighbour to collect the post while he was away on holiday.
pattern: asked + neighbour + to-infinitive
The neighbours called the landlord about the noisy party downstairs.
Sivan has been friends with her next-door neighbour for over twenty years.
The elderly neighbour across the street needs help carrying her shopping bags.
- next-door neighbour
specifically the person living in the house or flat immediately next to yours
- resident
anyone who lives in a particular place, not necessarily near you — broader and more formal
- local
informal term for someone who lives in the area, used especially by other people from the same area
用法筆記
The spelling 'neighbour' is used in British English; American English uses 'neighbor'. The word is most commonly used in everyday talk about people living nearby.
常見錯誤
2. a country whose land touches or lies very close to the land of another country
a country whose land touches or lies very close to the land of another country
Canada is a neighbour of the United States to the north.
pattern: is a neighbour of + country
The two neighbours have shared a peaceful border for over sixty years.
France, Germany, and Italy are all neighbours in Western Europe.
Vietnam and its neighbour Laos opened a new border crossing for trucks last year.
- neighbouring country
adjective + noun phrase, more common in descriptive writing
- adjacent nation
more formal, used in diplomatic or official contexts
- distant country
a country far away, not sharing a border
用法筆記
This sense is used mainly in geography, politics, or international relations. The phrase 'neighbouring country' (adjective form) is more common than the noun form in some contexts.
常見錯誤
neighbour — verb
- neighbourpresent simple I / you / we / they
- neighbours3rd person singular
- neighbouring-ing form
- neighbouredpast simple
1. if one place neighbours another, it is situated next to it or shares a boundary
if one place neighbours another, it is situated next to it or shares a boundary with it, often used in geographical descriptions
The park neighbours the town library on the eastern side.
transitive: X neighbours Y
Our farm neighbours a large nature reserve with walking trails.
The property neighbours directly on to a protected woodland area.
This region neighbours several countries across the mountain range.
- border
more common and widely understood; implies a shared boundary line
- adjoin
similar formality, emphasises physical contact between properties or regions
- be adjacent to
a more common phrase that learners can use instead of the verb 'neighbour'
- be far from
describes places that are not near each other
文法句型
neighbour + noun phrase (object)
neighbour + on/upon + noun phrase
用法筆記
The verb 'neighbour' is considerably less common than the noun. The present participle 'neighbouring' (as in 'neighbouring countries') is far more frequent in everyday language. This verb is mostly found in formal or written geographical descriptions rather than in conversation.