neighbor/neighbour
neighbor/neighbour
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "neighbor/neighbour" is /ˈneɪbər/.
nei-: /neɪ/ (as in "nay")
-ghbor: /bər/ (as in "burr," with a schwa sound for the 'o')
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: neighbor/neighbour
Plural Noun: neighbors/neighbours
Verb (base form): neighbor/neighbour (less common, but exists, meaning to be next to or near)
Verb (third-person singular present): neighbors/neighbours
Verb (present participle): neighboring/neighbouring
Verb (past tense/past participle): neighbored/neighboured
Adjective: neighboring/neighbouring (describing something that is adjacent)
Adverb: neighborly/neighbourly (describing an action done in a friendly, helpful way)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A person who lives in close proximity to another, typically in an adjacent or nearby house or apartment.
Synonyms: resident (nearby), occupant (nearby), next-door dweller
Antonyms: stranger, distant acquaintance, foreigner
Definition 2: (Figurative) A country, state, or region that shares a border or is geographically close to another.
Synonyms: adjacent country, bordering nation, contiguous state
Antonyms: distant land, remote territory
Verb
Definition 1: (Intransitive) To live or be situated next to or very near something or someone.
Synonyms: adjoin, abut, border, be adjacent to
Antonyms: be distant from, be far from, be separated from
Definition 2: (Transitive, less common) To be friendly or act in a neighborly manner towards someone.
Synonyms: befriend, associate with (locally), interact with (locally)
Antonyms: avoid, shun, ignore
Adjective
Definition 1: (neighboring/neighbouring) Located next to or very near; adjacent.
Synonyms: adjacent, contiguous, proximate, bordering, conterminous
Antonyms: distant, remote, far-off, separated
Adverb
Definition 1: (neighborly/neighbourly) In a friendly, helpful, and kind manner, as is characteristic of a good neighbor.
Synonyms: amicably, genially, hospitably, courteously, kindly
Antonyms: unfriendly, hostilely, uncharitably, rudely
Examples of Use
Book: "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin tucked into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him. The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a coloured poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a metre wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours. It was part of the economy drive in preparation for Hate Week. The flat was seven flights up, and Winston, who was thirty-nine and had a varicose ulcer above his right ankle, went slowly, resting several times on the way. On each landing, opposite the lift-shaft, the same enormous face gazed from the wall. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran. Inside the flat a fruity voice was reading out a list of figures which had something to do with the production of pig-iron. The voice came from an oblong metal plaque like a dull mirror which formed part of the right-hand wall. Winston turned a switch and the voice sank to a mere murmur. This was a device known as the telescreen. It could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely. He moved over to the window: a tiny man, with a tiny face, was hurrying along the pavement below. He looked up at Winston’s window, but Winston did not see him. Winston looked away from the window at the room. His neighbour was a stout, fair-haired woman of about thirty, with a pleasant, rather plump face." (George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, June 1949)
Newspaper: "The United States and Canada have long been close neighbors, sharing the longest international border in the world and maintaining a strong economic partnership." (The Globe and Mail)
Online Publication: "When the power went out during the storm, many residents relied on the generosity of their neighbors who had generators." (NPR.org)
Entertainment Medium (TV Show Dialogue): "Did you hear what happened to our neighbor, Mrs. Henderson? Her cat got stuck in a tree again!" (From a fictional sitcom episode)
Entertainment Platform (Movie Review): "The film explores the complicated relationship between an elderly man and his new, boisterous neighbors." (Rotten Tomatoes review)
General Public Discourse (Social Media Post): "Just finished helping my neighbor move their furniture. It's so important to look out for each other in the community!" (X (formerly Twitter) post)
General Public Discourse (Community Meeting): "We need to work with our neighboring schools to create a unified strategy for improving local education." (Public meeting minutes)
News Headline (verb use): "Local Community Groups to Neighbour Each Other's Initiatives for Greater Impact." (Fictitious local news headline)
10 Quotes Using Neighbor/Neighbour
"Love your neighbor as yourself." (Bible, Mark 12:31)
"Good fences make good neighbors." (Robert Frost, "Mending Wall")
"The first duty of a good neighbor is to be a good listener." (Unknown)
"To be a good neighbor is to respect privacy and offer help when needed." (Original)
"A man who is a good neighbor is a man who is rich, no matter what his bank balance." (Unknown)
"He that has a good neighbor, has a good day." (Italian Proverb)
"We are all each other's neighbors." (Attributed to Fred Rogers)
"My neighbor's lawn is always greener, but mine has fewer weeds." (Unknown)
"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another, or is a good neighbor to another." (Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend)
"The best way to know your neighbor is to lend them something and see if they return it." (Unknown)
Etymology
The word "neighbor" (or "neighbour" in British English) has a very clear and old origin. It comes from Old English, a very early form of the English language.
Imagine breaking the word into two parts:
"neah": This part means "near" or "close." You can see its relatives in modern English words like "nigh" (meaning near) and "next" (which comes from "nighest," meaning nearest).
"gebur": This part means "dweller" or "inhabitant," basically someone who lives somewhere. It's related to the word "boor," which originally meant "farmer" or "peasant" and is also linked to words like "bower" (a dwelling).
So, when you put them together, "neahgebur" literally meant "near dweller" or "one who lives nearby."
The first known use of this word, in its Old English form, dates back to before the 12th century. Its meaning was exactly what it sounds like: a person who lives close to another. Over time, the spelling and pronunciation changed, but the core idea of someone who lives next door or in the immediate vicinity has remained the same.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Neighbor/Neighbour
Good fences make good neighbors. (Meaning that clear boundaries can help maintain peaceful relationships.)
Love thy neighbor as thyself. (A biblical commandment emphasizing compassion and kindness towards others.)
The neighbor's grass is always greener. (Meaning that other people's situations or possessions often seem more desirable than one's own.)
To be neighborly. (To act in a friendly and helpful manner, characteristic of a good neighbor.)
Neighbor of the year. (Often used sarcastically to describe someone who is being a particularly bad or annoying neighbor, but can also be sincere.)
My next-door neighbor. (A very common way to specify the person living in the adjacent residence.)
Our closest neighbors. (Referring to the people or countries geographically closest to you.)
Neighboring countries/states. (Referring to countries or states that share a border.)
Community of neighbors. (Emphasizing the collective group of people living near each other.)
A good neighbor policy. (Refers to a foreign policy of mutual respect and non-interference, notably associated with the US in Latin America.)
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of neighbor/neighbour from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
