neighbouring

neighbouring — adjective

1. describes a place, area, or building that is located right next to or very close

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a place, area, or building that is located right next to or very close to the one you are referring to

Example

Ravindra drove across the border into a neighbouring country to buy cheaper medicine.

collocation: neighbouring country

The wildfire threatened the national park and several neighbouring villages along the river.

Common collocations
  • neighbouring country
  • neighbouring town
  • neighbouring village
  • neighbouring building
  • neighbouring house
  • neighbouring room
  • neighbouring school
  • neighbouring property
Synonyms
  • adjacent

    more formal; often implies the two places actually touch or share a boundary

  • nearby

    less specific about distance; does not suggest direct contact

  • next-door

    limited to the immediately adjacent building, house, or room

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

neighbouring + noun

Usage Note

This adjective is used only before a noun — you cannot say “the two houses are neighbouring”. The American spelling is “neighboring” (one ‘u’).

Common Mistakes

The two villages are neighbouring.
The two villages are next to each other.
“Neighbouring” is used only before a noun, not after a linking verb.
My neighbourly country helped us after the flood.
My neighbouring country helped us after the flood.
“Neighbourly” means friendly or helpful, while “neighbouring” means physically close.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three synonyms describe things that are physically close, but they differ in precision. “Adjacent” suggests immediate proximity, often with a shared boundary (adjacent rooms in a hotel). “Nearby” is the vaguest — anything within a short walk or drive qualifies (a nearby café). “Next-door” is the most specific, referring only to the immediately adjoining building or house (the next-door neighbour). Use “neighbouring” when you want to emphasise that places are directly connected by location, often as part of a group or region (neighbouring countries, neighbouring towns). For example: “A fire started in a neighbouring building and spread to the adjacent house next door.”

adjacent ↗nearby ↗next-door

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed from “neighbour” (a person living nearby) plus the adjective suffix “-ing”. The root “neighbour” comes from Old English “neahgebur”, a combination of “neah” (near) and “gebur” (dweller or farmer), so the word’s core idea is “belonging to a nearby dweller”.