How to Pronounce Near Drowning

Say it as NEER DROW-ning. The first word rhymes with 'beer' or 'clear,' and the second word sounds like 'drowning' (rhymes with 'frowning'). Put the stress on the first syllable of 'drowning,' so it's NEER DROW-ning, not NEER drow-NING.

The stress falls on DROW (the first syllable of the word 'drowning'). Most people naturally say it correctly, but some mistakenly stress the second syllable and say NEER drow-NING instead—avoid that.

Yes. 'Near' is one syllable: near. 'Drowning' is two syllables: drow-ning. So the full term is three syllables: near / drow / ning.

It means someone survived after being underwater and not breathing for a dangerous amount of time. It's not quite the same as regular drowning—'near' means the person lived, but their body and lungs may have been seriously affected by the water incident.

'Near' means close to or almost something. 'Drowning' comes from an old English word and refers to suffocation that happens when water blocks the airway. Together, 'near drowning' literally means 'almost drowning' or 'survived drowning.'

Medical professionals sometimes use the abbreviation 'ND,' but 'near drowning' is the standard term you'll see and hear. There isn't a single common replacement word, so the full two-word phrase is most reliable.

The word 'drowning' alone is related—it describes the act of dying from water suffocation. You might also hear 'submersion,' which means being underwater or covered by water. Both words often appear alongside 'near drowning' in medical discussions.

You could say: 'The doctor explained that near drowning can cause problems in the lungs even after the person leaves the water.' This shows the term being used correctly to describe the medical condition, not the act itself.