Near East

[ neer eest ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an indefinite geographical or regional term, usually referring to the countries of southwestern Asia, including Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia and the other nations of Arabia. Compare Middle East ( def 1 ).

Near East

noun

another term for the Middle East
(formerly) the Balkan States and the area of the Ottoman Empire

Near East

A region in western Asia and northeastern Africa , often considered the same as the Middle East .

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Other Word Forms

Near Eastern adjective noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of Near East¹

First recorded in 1855–60

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Compare Meanings

How does Near East compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Near East vs. Middle East

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Matthew Levitt is a senior fellow and director of the program on counter-terrorism and intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

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World Central Kitchen said that it was suspending operations in the territory, as did American Near East Refugee Aid, or Anera.

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The poll, by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a generally pro-Israel research organization, surveyed 1,000 Saudis from Nov. 14 to Dec. 6.

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Lifeway Research conducted the online survey in November for The Philos Project, a nonprofit promoting Christian engagement in the Near East.

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This new study is based on DNA isolated from chicken bones that were excavated from 140 archaeological sites in Europe and the Near East.

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near-earth object Nearer Tibet

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