at close range

Idioms

Very nearby, as in At close range, the rock band was unbearably loud. Derived from shooting— range denotes the distance that missile or projectile can be made to travel—this expression soon came to mean anything in close proximity.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When the team replaced the black object with a white one and added carbon dioxide, mosquitoes were able to locate the source, but only at close range.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2026

Epirus’s systems are designed to take down drones at close range, without damaging anything or anyone else around them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

For six tumultuous years, director Nico Ballesteros followed Ye at close range, capturing the artist’s rawest highs and lowest lows in the new documentary “In Whose Name?”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2025

Shaw was a constant threat throughout, striking wide moments after her goal, before forcing an excellent save from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton at close range.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2024

Crossbows aren’t great at close range, so I trade mine for a dagger.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023