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next

/nɛkst/ · next
noun
  1. The one that follows after this one. Next, please, don't hold up the queue!
adjective
  1. Nearest in place or position, having nothing similar intervening; adjoining. The next house on the street was painted blue.
  2. Nearest in order, succession, or rank; immediately following (or sometimes preceding) in order. Read the next chapter before the exam.
  3. Following in a hypothetical sequence of some kind. He hopes to become the next Bill Gates.
adverb
  1. In a time, place, rank or sequence closest or following. It's the next best thing to ice cream.
  2. On the first subsequent occasion. Financial panic, earthquakes, oil spills, riots. What comes next?
preposition
  1. On the side of; nearest or adjacent to; next to. She sat next to me during the lecture.
Did you know? ‘Next’ is one of the few everyday English words that can serve as a noun, adjective, adverb, and preposition all without any morphological change.
Written by Lexi Wordsworth, Dictionary Editor 0 lookups Added Jul 18, 2026