1very close to someone or something, with no other person, building, place etc in between 紧挨着,紧靠着
There was a little girl sitting next to him.
有个小女孩坐在他旁边。
2next to nothingvery little 几乎没有,极少
He knows next to nothing about antiques.
他对古董几乎一窍不通。
Examples from the Corpus
next to nothing• Phil earnsnext to nothing.• For he was obliged now to concentrate on what he was doing, even if it was next to nothing.• I know next to nothing about Belinda, but I must ask him how she died.• We know next to nothing about philosophythanks to television, but lots about the nocturnalhabits of cute animals.• My parents know next to nothing about the men I date.• I learned next to nothing at school - the teachers were awful.• It was nuts-and-bolts work, with a salarynext to nothing, but he was prepared to bear the sacrifices.• Its high rise flats are steeped in monotonouspoverty: families survive on next to nothing, heroin is a hard currency.• A drive down Highway 880, past the Coliseum complex, revealsnext to nothing new.• The company's profitsclimbed from next to nothing to $6 million in just two years.• It costs next to nothing to go to an afternoonmovie.
3used to give a list of things you like, hate etc in order to say what is first on the list 仅次于,在…之后
5next to impossible/useless etcalmost impossible, useless etc 几乎不可能的/几乎没有用的等
This crossword puzzle is next to impossible.
这个纵横字谜几乎不可能做出来。
Examples from the Corpus
next to impossible/useless etc• As a waterproof it was next to useless.• But counting the dead is next to impossible.• Buying such a processor for less than $ 400 is next to impossible.• In the early months, this restraint was next to impossible for them to achieve.• Further, genuineeducational change in these settings is next to impossible given the logistical difficulty of just getting the staff together.• But he quickly learned that at his age it was next to impossible to find a professional job in San Francisco.
nTHESAURUS
next toprepositionprep very close to someone or something, with no other person, building, place etc in between
I sat next to him at dinner.
The hotel was right next to the airport.
besideprepositionprep next to the side of someone or something
Ella came and sat down beside me.
They were sitting beside the pool.
byprepositionprep next to something – often used about being very close to a window, door, or the edge of something such as an area of water
I saw him standing by the window.
Weymouth is a pretty little town by the sea.
She lives by the river.
next dooradverbadv in the building or room next to yours, or next to another one
The house next door is much bigger than ours.
Have you met the people who’ve just moved in next door?
alongsideadverbadv, prepositionprep close to the side of something, especially a river, railway, boat, or vehicle
I decided to take the path alongside the railway track.
A police car pulled up alongside.
adjacentadjectiveadj, adverbadv formal a building, room, or piece of land that is adjacent to another one is next to it
They walked through a rose garden adjacent to the hospital.
The blaze spread to two adjacent buildings.
adjoiningadjectiveadj formal an adjoining room, building, or piece of land is one that is next to another one and is joined to it