The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Near \Near\, a. [Compar. Nearer; superl. Nearest.] [See
   Near, adv.]
   1. Not far distant in time, place, or degree; not remote;
      close at hand; adjacent; neighboring; nigh. "As one near
      death." --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

            He served great Hector, and was ever near,
            Not with his trumpet only, but his spear. --Dryden.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Closely connected or related.
      [1913 Webster]

            She is thy father's near kinswoman.   --Lev. xviii.
                                                  12.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. Close to one's interests, affection, etc.; touching, or
      affecting intimately; intimate; dear; as, a near friend.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. Close to anything followed or imitated; not free, loose,
      or rambling; as, a version near to the original.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. So as barely to avoid or pass injury or loss; close;
      narrow[3]; as, a near escape; a near miss.
      [1913 Webster]

   6. Next to the driver, when he is on foot; in the Unted
      States, on the left of an animal or a team; as, the near
      ox; the near leg. See Off side, under Off, a.
      [1913 Webster]

   7. Immediate; direct; close; short. "The nearest way."
      --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   8. Close-fisted; parsimonious. [Obs. or Low, Eng.]
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: Near may properly be followed by to before the thing
         approached; but more frequently to is omitted, and the
         adjective or the adverb is regarded as a preposition.
         The same is also true of the word nigh.
         [1913 Webster]

   Syn: Nigh; close; adjacent; proximate; contiguous; present;
        ready; intimate; familiar; dear.
        [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Near \Near\ (n[=e]r), adv. [AS. ne['a]r, compar. of ne['a]h
   nigh. See Nigh.]
   1. At a little distance, in place, time, manner, or degree;
      not remote; nigh.
      [1913 Webster]

            My wife! my traitress! let her not come near me.
                                                  --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Nearly; almost; well-nigh. "Near twenty years ago."
      --Shak. "Near a fortnight ago." --Addison.
      [1913 Webster]

            Near about the yearly value of the land. --Locke.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. Closely; intimately. --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   Far and near, at a distance and close by; throughout a
      whole region.

   To come near to, to want but little of; to approximate to.
      "Such a sum he found would go near to ruin him."
      --Addison.

   Near the wind (Naut.), close to the wind; closehauled.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Near \Near\, prep.
   Adjacent to; close by; not far from; nigh; as, the ship
   sailed near the land. See the Note under near, a.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Near \Near\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Neared; p. pr. & vb. n
   Nearing.] [See Near, adv.]
   To approach; to come nearer; as, the ship neared the land.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Near \Near\, v. i.
   To draw near; to approach.
   [1913 Webster]

         A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist!
         And still it neared, and neared.         --Coleridge.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

near
    adv 1: near in time or place or relationship; "as the wedding
           day drew near"; "stood near the door"; "don't shoot until
           they come near"; "getting near to the true explanation";
           "her mother is always near"; "The end draws nigh"; "the
           bullet didn't come close"; "don't get too close to the
           fire" [syn: near, nigh, close]
    2: (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite
       accomplished; all but; "the job is (just) about done"; "the
       baby was almost asleep when the alarm sounded"; "we're almost
       finished"; "the car all but ran her down"; "he nearly
       fainted"; "talked for nigh onto 2 hours"; "the recording is
       well-nigh perfect"; "virtually all the parties signed the
       contract"; "I was near exhausted by the run"; "most everyone
       agrees" [syn: about, almost, most, nearly, near,
       nigh, virtually, well-nigh]
    adj 1: not far distant in time or space or degree or
           circumstances; "near neighbors"; "in the near future";
           "they are near equals"; "his nearest approach to
           success"; "a very near thing"; "a near hit by the bomb";
           "she was near tears"; "she was close to tears"; "had a
           close call" [syn: near, close, nigh] [ant: far]
    2: being on the left side; "the near or nigh horse is the one on
       the left"; "the animal's left side is its near or nigh side"
       [syn: near(a), nigh(a)]
    3: closely resembling the genuine article; "near beer"; "a dress
       of near satin"
    4: giving or spending with reluctance; "our cheeseparing
       administration"; "very close (or near) with his money"; "a
       penny-pinching miserly old man" [syn: cheeseparing,
       close, near, penny-pinching, skinny]
    5: with or in a close or intimate relationship; "a good friend";
       "my sisters and brothers are near and dear" [syn: dear,
       good, near]
    6: very close in resemblance; "sketched in an approximate
       likeness"; "a near likeness" [syn: approximate, near]
    v 1: move towards; "We were approaching our destination"; "They
         are drawing near"; "The enemy army came nearer and nearer"
         [syn: approach, near, come on, go up, draw near,
         draw close, come near]