By vs. Near — What's the Difference?

Identifying the agent performing an action.

To, at, or within a short distance or interval in space or time

Indicating the means of achieving something

Just about; almost; nearly

Indicating the amount or size of a margin

With or in a close relationship

Indicating a deadline or the end of a particular time period

Close in time, space, position, or degree

Indicating location of a physical object beside a place or object

Closely related by kinship or association; intimate

Indicating the period in which something happens

Nearly occurring but not actually happening

Concerning; according to

Just barely avoided

Used in mild oaths

Closely corresponding to or resembling an original

So as to go past

Closely resembling the genuine article

Variant spelling of bye

Closer of two or more

Close to; next to

Being on the left side of an animal or vehicle.

With the use or help of; through

Being the animal or vehicle on the left.

Up to and beyond; past

Short and direct

At or to

(Archaic) Stingy; parsimonious.

In the period of; during

Close to

Not later than

To come close or closer to

In the amount of

To draw near or nearer; approach

To the extent of

Physically close.

According to

Close in time.

With respect to

Closely connected or related.

In the name of

Close to one's interests, affection, etc.; intimate; dear.

Through the agency or action of

Close to anything followed or imitated; not free, loose, or rambling.

Used to indicate a succession of specified individuals, groups, or quantities

So as barely to avoid or pass injury or loss; close; narrow.

Used in multiplication and division

Approximate, almost.

Used with measurements

On the side nearest to the kerb (the left-hand side if one drives on the left).

Toward. Used to express direction with points of the compass

(dated) Next to the driver, when he is on foot; (US) on the left of an animal or a team.

On hand; nearby

(obsolete) Immediate; direct; close; short.

Aside; away

Stingy; parsimonious.

Up to, alongside, and past

Within the currently selected segment in a segmented memory architecture.

At or to one's home or current location

At or towards a position close in space or time. en

Into the past

Nearly; almost.

Variant of bye1.

Physically close to, in close proximity to.

Near or next to.

Close to in time.

From one side of something to the other, passing close by; past.

Close to in nature or degree.

Not later than (the given time); not later than the end of (the given time interval).

(ambitransitive) To come closer to; to approach.

Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of.

The left side of a horse or of a team of horses pulling a carriage etc.

Following a passive verb.

At a little distance, in place, time, manner, or degree; not remote; nigh.

Following a noun.

Nearly; almost; well-nigh.

(not in common modern use) Following an adjective.

Closely; intimately.

Indicates the creator of a work: Existing through the authorship etc. of.

Not far distant in time, place, or degree; not remote; close at hand; adjacent; neighboring; nigh.

Indicates a means of achieving something: Involving/using the means of.

Closely connected or related.

Indicates an authority according to which something is done.

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

Invokes an authority in an oath.

Close to anything followed or imitated; not free, loose, or rambling; as, a version near to the original.

Indicates a means of classification or organisation.

So as barely to avoid or pass injury or loss; close; narrow{3}; as, a near escape; a near miss.

Indicates the amount of change, difference or discrepancy

Immediate; direct; close; short.

In the formulae X by X and by Xs, indicates a steady progression, one X after another.

Close-fisted; parsimonious.

Acted on in units of the specified size or measure. (Sometimes hyperbolically)

To approach; to come nearer; as, the ship neared the land.

Per; with or in proportion to each.

To draw near; to approach.

Indicates a referenced source: According to.

Move towards;

Used to separate dimensions when describing the size of something.

Not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances;

(horse breeding) Designates a horse's male parent (sire); cf. out of.

Being on the left side;

At, with, among

Closely resembling the genuine article;

Along a path which runs past the speaker.

Giving or spending with reluctance;

In the vicinity, near.

With or in a close or intimate relationship;

To or at a place, as a residence or place of business.

Very close in resemblance;

Aside, away.

Near in time or place or relationship;

Out of the way, off to one side.

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; `near' is sometimes used informally for `nearly' and `most' is sometimes used informally for `almost';

Subsidiary, incidental.

Alternative spelling of bye.

In the neighborhood of; near or next to; not far from; close to; along with; as, come and sit by me.

On; along; in traversing. Compare 5.

Near to, while passing; hence, from one to the other side of; past; as, to go by a church.

Used in specifying adjacent dimensions; as, a cabin twenty feet by forty.

Against.

With, as means, way, process, etc.; through means of; with aid of; through; through the act or agency of; as, a city is destroyed by fire; profit is made by commerce; to take by force.

Near; in the neighborhood; present; as, there was no person by at the time.

Passing near; going past; past; beyond; as, the procession has gone by; a bird flew by.

Aside; as, to lay by; to put by.

Out of the common path; aside; - used in composition, giving the meaning of something aside, secondary, or incidental, or collateral matter, a thing private or avoiding notice; as, by-line, by-place, by-play, by-street. It was formerly more freely used in composition than it is now; as, by-business, by-concernment, by-design, by-interest, etc.

So as to pass a given point;

In reserve; not for immediate use;