Idiom: next to

Meaning

Idiom: next to

almost, nearly; practically
in comparison with (compared to)
following in order or degree

Note: We also know that next to means something is beside something else or physically to the side of something. (e.g., I parked my car next to a black Ferrari.)

Example sentences

almost, nearly; practically:

Uh-oh, the next few days will be difficult. I have next to nothing in my bank account and don’t get paid for another week.
The traffic was so bad it took us next to two hours to drive three miles.
You'll need next to a 3.5 grade point average to get into that university.
We saw next to 10 bears during our hikes this summer.
Becoming a professional athlete is next to impossible so my backup plan is accounting.
I knew next to nothing about making videos when I first started posting on YouTube but now I have 350,000 subscribers.

in comparison with (compared to)