COME NEAR

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does come near mean? 

• COME NEAR (verb)
  The verb COME NEAR has 3 senses:

1. almost do or experience something

2. move towards

3. come near in time

  Familiarity information: COME NEAR used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COME NEAR (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Almost do or experience something

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

She came near to screaming with fear

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE

Sense 2

Meaning:

Move towards

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

approach; come near; come on; draw close; draw near; go up; near

Context example:

The enemy army came nearer and nearer

Hypernyms (to "come near" is one way to...):

come; come up (move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody)

"Come near" entails doing...:

advance; go on; march on; move on; pass on; progress (move forward, also in the metaphorical sense)

Verb group:

approach; come near (come near in time)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "come near"):

drive up (approach while driving)

bear down on; bear down upon (sail towards another vessel, of a ship)

edge in; edge up (push one's way into (a space))

close (draw near)

crowd; push (approach a certain age or speed)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue come near

Sense 3

Meaning:

Come near in time

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

approach; come near

Context example:

approaching old age

Hypernyms (to "come near" is one way to...):

come; come up (move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody)

Verb group:

approach; come near; come on; draw close; draw near; go up; near (move towards)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "come near"):

get on (grow late or (of time) elapse)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

 Context examples 

“How can I go on as I am, a solitary curse to myself, a living disgrace to everyone I come near!”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

I sat by his bed, watching him; his eyes were closed, and I thought he slept; but presently he called to me in a feeble voice, and bidding me come near, said, Alas!

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

I have observed that when I wore the semblance of Edward Hyde, none could come near to me at first without a visible misgiving of the flesh.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The man cannot come near the woman, or he will guide their enemies to her.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"Thank God!" he exclaimed, "that if anything malignant did come near you last night, it was only the veil that was harmed. Oh, to think what might have happened!"

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

"Don't let that young giant come near me, he worries me worse than mosquitoes," whispered the old lady to Amy, as the rooms filled and Laurie's black head towered above the rest.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

She recognised the whole of Lucy in the message, and was very confident that Edward would never come near them.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

"Don't come near Bernard now," she admonished him.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

“When you may never care to come near the place again!”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

It is as fine a picture as any Miss Reed's drawing-master could paint, let alone the young ladies themselves, who could not come near it: and have you learnt French?

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)