1) 作为一个可以有比较级和最高级的特殊介词。

• He stood near the door.他在靠近门的地方站着。
• I wish I lived nearer London.我真恨不得住在更加靠近伦敦的地方。
• Several cars were already parked outside and, nearer the house; they could hear the sound of voices from the upper level.好几辆车已经停在外面，再靠近房子一点，他们就听到楼上的人声。
• Instinctively, those nearest the guardrail took a step backward.那些最挨近栏杆的，本能地往后退了一步。

2) 作为副词。

• No birds or animals came near.近处没有来什么鸟兽。

3) 作为形容词。

• Growth will be accelerating in the near future.最近将来，增长会加速。
• We walked to the nearest house.我们朝最近的那栋房子走过去。
• Right now we're no nearer to having that than we were before.目前我们比以前并没有什么进展。
• But she felt she was no nearer to her goal than she was when she had first arrived in New York.但是她觉得，现在离开自己的目标，同刚到纽约时一样遥远。

4) 作为动词。

• We were nearing the point where the lane curved.我们正在走近巷道拐弯的地方。
• The attorneys of Schiavo's parents acknowledged the fight to reconnect the brain-damaged woman's feeding tube was nearing an end.施亚沃父母的律师们承认，争取给这个脑损伤的妇女重新接上喂食管的这场战斗，正在接近尾声。