neighbor

neigh‧bour S2 W2 BrE AmE British English, neighbor American English /ˈneɪbə $ -bər/ noun [countable]
[Language: Old English; Origin: neahgebur]
1. someone who lives next to you or near you:
One of the neighbors complained about the noise from the party.
FBI agents were interviewing all their friends and neighbors.
Our next-door neighbours (=the people who live in the house next to us) say they’ll look after our cat for us while we’re away.
2. a country that is next to another one ⇨ bordering:
Israel and its Arab neighbours
3. someone or something that is next to another person or thing of the same type:
The teacher saw Phil passing a note to his neighbour.
The garden was divided from its neighbour by a high wall.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

neighbour

neigh·bour [neighbour neighbours neighboured neighbouring] (especially US neigh·bor) [ˈneɪbə(r)] [ˈneɪbər] noun
1. a person who lives next to you or near you
• We've had a lot of support from all our friends and neighbours.

• Our next-door neighbours are very noisy.

2. a country that is next to or near another country

• Britain's nearest neighbour is France.

3. a person or thing that is standing or located next to another person or thing
• Stand quietly, children, and try not to talk to your neighbour.

• The tree fell slowly, its branches caught in those of its neighbours.

4. (literary) any other human
• We should all love our neighbours.
Word Origin:
Old English nēahgebūr, from nēah ‘nigh, near’ + gebūr ‘inhabitant, peasant, farmer’ (compare with boor).
Example Bank:
• He's having a barbecue and he's inviting all the neighbours.
• I've just met our new neighbours.
• My nearest neighbour lives a few miles away.
• Our new neighbours moved in today.
• She could hear her downstairs neighbour moving around.
• She leaned over to her nearest neighbour and whispered something.
• She's been a very good neighbour to me.
• Shh! You'll wake the neighbours.
• The country is vulnerable to attack from hostile neighbours.
• The neighbours complained about his loud music.
• The two men became neighbours.

• They are near neighbours of ours.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

neighbour ( US neighbor ) / ˈneɪ.bə r / / -bɚ / noun [ C ]

A2 UK someone who lives very near to you:

Some of the neighbours have complained about the noise from our party.

Have you met Pat, my next-door neighbour?

B1 A country's neighbour is one that is next to it:

The relationship between Scotland and its southern neighbour has not always been peaceful.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

neighbour

/neɪbə(r)/
(neighbours)

Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.

Note: in AM, use 'neighbor'

1.
Your neighbour is someone who lives near you.
I got chatting with my neighbour in the garden.
N-COUNT: oft poss N

2.
You can refer to the person who is standing or sitting next to you as your neighbour.
The woman prodded her neighbour and whispered urgently in his ear.
N-COUNT: oft poss N

3.
You can refer to something which stands next to something else of the same kind as its neighbour.
Each house was packed close behind its neighbour.
N-COUNT: usu poss N

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

neighbor

neigh·bor US or Brit neigh·bour /ˈneɪbɚ/ noun, pl -bors [count]
1 : a person who lives next to or near another person
• We invited our friends and neighbors.
• our next-door neighbors [=the people who live in the house next to us]
2 : a person or thing that is next to or near another
• Please pass your paper to your neighbor. [=the person sitting next to you]
• Canada is a neighbor of the U.S.
• Venus is Earth's nearest neighbor.