- another term for the Middle East
- (formerly) the Balkan States and the area of the Ottoman Empire
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
Near′ East′,
- Place Namesan indefinite geographical or regional term, usually referring to the countries of SW Asia, including Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia and the other nations of the Arabian Peninsula. Cf. Middle East (def. 1).
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Near East n
'Near East' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Mousterian
- Ottoman
- Persian carpet
- shadoof
- shekel
- womb
- alfalfa
- alphabet
- bridge
- caravansary
- chukar
- dinar
- dragoman
- Fertile Crescent
- Great Mother
- hajji
- jingo
- pir
- raki
- sambuca
- sycamore