Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🚶 To get closer 😬 To almost do ⏰ To approach (time)
to come near

to come near

2.1
To be near in time and about to happen
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : acercarse
  • It was thick and dark by the time we came near, but we could feel more and more people moving around us in the jungle, and when we began to come into the clearing, it seemed that there were even more people than trees.

And I was trying the, the goal now is to set up the next project because this project is coming near an end.

Examples

  • With spring just around the corner, warm weather comes near and everyone is excited for longer days.

  • And let's just look ahead to what will come near the end of the lecture.

  • OK, so now I'm coming near the end of it, but I want to get it in a decent form.

  • We waited on the edge of the ice, but no whales came near.

    Academic text (1992)

  • We're coming near to the end of what has been a singularly unimpressive pilot season.

    Blog text (10)

  • As the deadline for the project comes near, we all feel the pressure to finish our work.

  • The concert tickets are selling quickly, and the date comes near, so be sure to buy yours soon.

Synonyms

to approach
vsto come near
312 3.0

To come nearer in time and be about to happen

is used mainly for being about to happen rather than physical motion
to near
vsto come near
115 1.0

Move closer to someone or something

is most often used for events about to occur in time not just movement
to come on
vsto come near
51 1.4

Move closer or begin to arrive, often gradually

signals that something will happen soon in time rather than in a slow way
to draw near
vsto come near
18 2.6

To move closer in place or time

focuses particularly on events becoming imminent in time rather than on location
to draw close
vsto come near
8 2.9

Move nearer to someone or something

is mainly used for events that will happen soon rather than simple motion
to verge
vsto come near
6 5.1

To come very close to being something

emphasizes being about to happen in time rather than almost becoming a new state

Antonyms

to delay
562 1.4

To make something happen later than planned

How Soon

impending
55 4.0
to come near
2.1
approaching
4 2.3
far-off
45 4.2

Surface Forms

come near infinitive
came near past
come near past participle
coming near present participle
comes near third person singular

Morphology

come + near

The meaning 'to be close to doing or experiencing something' is directly derivable from combining 'come' (move toward/arrive) with 'near' (close/almost). This composition — literal physical approach or closeness in degree (e.g., 'come near to doing something') — is a regular, cross-linguistic pattern and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Come near is also used for time. People picture an event moving toward you the same way a person moves closer, so when a day or deadline gets close we say it 'comes near', meaning 'about to happen'.