NEARING Synonyms: 120 Similar and Opposite Words

nearing 1 of 3

adjective

as in approaching

being soon to appear or take place teachers preparing for the fast-nearing school year

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

nearing

2 of 3

noun

as in coming

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

nearing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of near

as in closing

to come near or nearer as the procession nears, you'll be able to take a better picture of the graduates

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in entering

to move closer to as we near the church, you'll be able to see the bas-relief sculptures better

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of nearing

Noun

The stock is now 72% below highs but nearing levels not seen since early 2022. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 23 July 2026 Volpe, whose time may be running out with Lombard’s debut nearing, is clearly viewed by the club as a bench player. — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 20 July 2026 But some lawyers warned this window may also close soon due to the nearing deadline. — Medora Lee, USA Today, 27 June 2026 The pitch, as expected, appeared to have lost its spite nearing lunch when Latham, who had hung tough for 74 deliveries, tried turning Jofra Archer to the leg side but found a leading edge that Jacob Bethell superbly snatched out of the air at gully. — ABC News, 17 June 2026 With Mercury nearing Saturn, you’re tempted to overanalyze someone’s tone. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026 Similarly, Saturday night’s schedule featured a nearing-his-75th-birthday tribute to Billy Branch, once considered a young lion in the genre, and the festival will conclude Sunday with 84-year-old living legend Taj Mahal. — Kevin McKeough, Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2026 With the Hai Kun nearing delivery, the modernization of the Chien Lung-class submarines nearing completion, and advanced torpedoes scheduled to arrive next year, Taiwan’s navy is steadily expanding its undersea warfare capabilities and strengthening its maritime deterrence posture. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 2 June 2026 Remediation is currently underway with litigation nearing resolution. — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 27 May 2026

Verb

Seemingly divergent policies from the US Federal Reserve and Treasury will be a key focus at a gathering of global central bankers, with bond yields nearing record highs and little respite on the horizon from dizzying global government debt levels. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2026 Blumberg and preservation One might imagine that a man nearing 90 and who was a prominent leader in hospitality has grappled with the issue of historic preservation. — Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 The criminal trial of the Massachusetts woman accused of murder in the deaths of her three children is nearing closing arguments. — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026 Tovey stars as Anthony Selvon, a polarizing self-help influencer with a dangerous message for young men nearing adulthood – embrace hypermasculinity and hate on women. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026 Nico is also nearing a move to Newcastle, and Jack Grealish is available for sale. — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 The courtroom drama seemed to be nearing an end after Harry and other plaintiffs lost their lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail last month. — ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026 Around the time the body was disposed of, Lake Mead was nearing its zenith. — Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 The city and the developer are nearing the end of a lengthy negotiating process that is expected to culminate with a long-term ground lease, although deal terms have not been made public. — Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nearing

Adjective

August 29, the fictional date (in 1997) of the franchise’s original nuclear holocaust, is fast approaching, and Judgment Day is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026
Not only is retirement looming at some not-too-distant time, but the college drop-off is fast approaching.

— Ken Stern, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of approaching

Noun

The feature, a coming of age drama set in the world of competitive mathematics and academia, is generating interest from potential buyers, though it is not expected to be screened for them until the fest.

— Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026
Mister Tiger, a Korean restaurant that opened as an ode to a grandmother’s home cooking, has become a new chef’s culinary coming of age.

— Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of coming

Verb

The Athletic reported that the relationship between Villa chairman Nassef Sawiris and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was seen as key to closing the deal.

— The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Reserves matter more than in conventional lending; underwriters like to see several months of housing payments sitting in the bank after closing, and more for larger loans.

— Karen Koehler, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of closing

Adjective

If the upcoming tests continue to validate the design, the 24-round reusable pod could become one of JR3’s biggest advantages.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
The upcoming 17-day FIBA break could be an opportunity for a new player to acclimate to Hammon’s system in Las Vegas.

— Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of upcoming

Noun

These wild swings in the numbers came while residents here didn’t notice any change to the slow but steady arrival of newcomers in dilapidated coaches.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
But its arrivals-to-departures ratio—a measure of hires relative to exits—has fallen sharply, according to Zeki.

— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of arrival

Noun

The advent of polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, testing, in the nineteen-eighties, enabled scientists to make numerous copies of the DNA or RNA in a sample, and that dramatically increased the sensitivity of diagnostic tests.

— Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026
With the advent of NIL and college realignment in college sports, many folks long for the good ol’ days.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of advent

Noun

Ultimately, Bessent’s approach is likely to fail, said Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer of One Point BFG Wealth Partners and editor of The Boock Report newsletter.

— Brian Cheung, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2026
Finally, regarding Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, his tone has skewed dovish in recent months, favoring a wait-and-see approach to the impact of the Middle East conflict.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of approach

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“Nearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nearing. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of nearing

adjective

noun

verb

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