near by

near by (comparative more near by, superlative most near by)

1. Alternative form of nearby.
   • 1899 April, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number MII, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part III (Conclusion), page 635, column 1:

     We were on deck at the time, and the head-man of my woodcutters, lounging near by, turned upon him his heavy and glittering eyes.

   • 1918, Henry B[lake] Fuller, On the Stairs, Boston, Mass., New York, N.Y.: Hougton Mifflin Company; Cambridge, Mass.: The Riverside Press, →OCLC, part III, section IV, page 97:

     If you are full, call somebody to take us and our baggage to some hotel near by that is not full.

   • 1921 June, Margery Williams, “The Velveteen Rabbit: Or How Toys Become Real”, in Harper’s Bazar, volume LVI, number 6 (2504 overall), New York, N.Y.: International Magazine Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 110, column 1:

     Near by he could see the thicket of raspberry canes, growing tall and close like a tropical jungle, in whose shadow he had played with the Boy on bygone mornings.