close
Americanverb (used with object)
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to put (something) in a position to obstruct an entrance, opening, etc.; shut.
Close the door, it's freezing in here.
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to stop or obstruct (a gap, entrance, aperture, etc.).
If you close that hole in the foundation, you're less likely to get critters in the basement.
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to block or hinder passage across or access to.
Because people were littering, the Parks and Recreation department decided to close the woods to picnickers.
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to stop or obstruct the entrances, apertures, or gaps in.
He closed the crate to prevent anything falling out and tied it up.
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to make (one's mind) unreceptive or inaccessible to.
Don't close your mind to an opinion just because you don't like the person who expressed it.
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to bring together the parts of; join; unite (often followed byup ).
Close up those ranks!
The surgeon closed the incision.
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Electricity. to complete (an electrical circuit) by joining the circuit elements.
The circuit was closed so the current could be measured.
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to bring to an end.
The chair then closed the debate and announced that the decision would be given in writing.
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to arrange the final details of; to conclude negotiations about; complete or settle.
Your sales team also needs to understand their audience properly to be able to close a deal to everyone's satisfaction.
We close the sale of the house next week.
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to stop rendering the customary services of.
We close the store at 7 on weeknights.
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to terminate or suspend the operation of; to halt the activities of: The police closed the bar for selling liquor to minors.
The epidemic forced authorities to close the schools.
The police closed the bar for selling liquor to minors.
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Nautical. to come near to.
We closed the cruiser to put our injured captain on board.
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Metalworking. to reduce the internal diameter of (a tube or the like).
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Archaic. to shut in or surround on all sides; enclose; cover in.
to close a bird in a cage.
verb (used without object)
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to become closed; shut: This window is stuck and will not close tight.
The door closed with a bang.
This window is stuck and will not close tight.
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to come together; unite.
Her lips closed firmly.
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to come near.
His pursuers closed rapidly.
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to grapple; engage in close encounter (often followed bywith ).
We closed with the invaders shortly before sundown.
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to come to an end; terminate.
The service closed with a hymn.
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to cease to offer the customary activities or services.
The school closed for the summer.
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to complete or reach an agreement, usually as a contract.
The builder closed with the contractor after negotiations.
They're closing on the lease for the office now, but we won't be ready to move for a few weeks.
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(of a theatrical production) to cease to be performed.
The play closed in New York yesterday and will open in Dallas next week.
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(of a stock, group of stocks, etc.) to be priced or show a change in price as specified at the end of a trading period.
The market closed low for the fourth straight day.
adjective
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having the parts or elements near to one another.
The close formation of battleships made it impossible to pass.
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The bread's crumb has a close texture.
A fabric with a close weave will be more waterproof.
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being in or having proximity in space or time.
The barn is so close to the house that I can hear the animals from my bedroom.
His birthday is in May, close to mine.
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marked by similarity in degree, action, feeling, etc..
This dark pink is close to red.
He left her close to tears.
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near in kind or relationship.
You should get screened regularly for breast cancer, especially if a close relative, such as a parent or sibling, has had it.
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emotionally intimate or strongly united; dear.
It's a rare blessing to have such a close circle of friends.
My sister and I have always been very close—I tell her everything.
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fitting tightly.
She wore a close, clingy top paired with loose, flowing pants.
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(of a haircut or shave, the mowing of a lawn, etc.) so executed that the hair, grass, etc., is left flush with the surface or very short.
The mower delivers a smooth, close cut to leave your lawn looking great every time.
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The matter requires close investigation.
- Synonyms:
- concentrated, intent
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not deviating from a subject, a model, an original, etc..
The first volume is a close, literal translation, but the second volume strays farther from the source text.
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nearly even or equal.
It was a close contest, with both teams scoring goal after goal, but we won in the end.
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strictly logical.
The book is remarkable for its close reasoning and excellent use of academic sources.
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shut; shut tight; not open.
A close hatch is needed to keep the water out.
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shut in; enclosed.
I thought all the sheep were close, but my sister just saw one of the ewes on the hillside.
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completely enclosing or surrounding.
It was a close siege, preventing all escape.
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without opening; with all openings covered or closed.
For winter storage, make sure the entire boat is as close as it can possibly be.
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close quarters.
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lacking fresh or freely circulating air.
a hot, close room.
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a spell of close, sultry weather.
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practicing or keeping secrecy; secretive; reticent.
She is so close that you can tell her all your secrets.
- Synonyms:
- reserved, uncommunicative, taciturn
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He is very close with his money.
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scarce, as money.
Our funds are much too close right now to think about buying another car.
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not open to public or general admission, competition, etc..
The entire parish participated in the close communication.
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(of a delimiting punctuation mark) occurring at the end of a group of words or characters that is set off, as from surrounding text: close quotes;
close parentheses;
close quotes;
close brackets.
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Hunting, Angling. closed.
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Phonetics. (of a vowel) articulated with a relatively small opening between the tongue and the roof of the mouth.
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Heraldry. (of a bird) represented as having folded wings.
an eagle close.
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Archaic. viscous; not volatile.
adverb
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in a close manner; closely.
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near; close by.
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Heraldry. immediately behind the ears, so as to show no neck.
a bear's head couped close.
noun
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the act or fact of closing; the end or conclusion: He seemed distracted during the close of the speech, and ran off the stage as soon as it was finished.
At the close of day, we like to wind down with a cup of tea and a book.
He seemed distracted during the close of the speech, and ran off the stage as soon as it was finished.
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Music. cadence.
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Stock Exchange.
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the closing price on a stock.
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the closing prices on an exchange market.
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Chiefly British. an enclosed place or enclosure, especially one beside or surrounding a cathedral or other building.
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Chiefly British. a short street terminating in a dead end; cul-de-sac.
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Chiefly Scot. an entry or passage, especially one between the street and the back entry of a building, to a common stairway, or to outbuildings, etc.
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Archaic. a junction; union.
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Obsolete. a close encounter; a grapple.
The fighters met in a fierce close.
verb phrase
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close in on / upon
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to approach so as to capture, attack, arrest, etc..
The hoodlums closed in on their victim.
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to surround or envelop so as to entrap.
a feeling that the room was closing in upon her.
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close down
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to terminate the operation of; discontinue.
to close down an air base because of budget cuts.
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to attempt to control or eliminate.
The city must close down drug traffic.
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close up
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to come together in close array; converge.
The enemy was closing up on us from both flanks.
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to bring to an end; cease.
The company is closing up its overseas operations.
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to become silent or uncommunicative.
I thought we were getting along, but she closed up all of a sudden and I don't know what's wrong.
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Printing. to reduce or eliminate spacing material between (units of set type).
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close out
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to reduce the price of (merchandise) for quick sale.
That store is closing out its stock of men's clothing.
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to liquidate or dispose of finally and completely.
They closed out their interests after many years in this city.
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idioms
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close ranks, to unite forces, especially by overlooking petty differences, in order to deal with an adverse or challenging situation; to join together in a show of unity, especially to the public.
When the newspaper story broke suggesting possible corruption in the government, the politicians all closed ranks.
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close to the wind, in a direction nearly opposite to that from which the wind is coming.
to sail close to the wind.
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close up,
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from close range; in a detailed manner; intimately.
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Nautical. fully raised; at the top of the halyard.
an answering pennant flown close up.
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close / seal the deal. see seal the deal.
verb
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to put or be put in such a position as to cover an opening; shut
the door closed behind him
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(tr) to bar, obstruct, or fill up (an entrance, a hole, etc)
to close a road
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to bring the parts or edges of (a wound, etc) together or (of a wound, etc) to be brought together
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(intr; foll by on, over, etc) to take hold
his hand closed over the money
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to bring or be brought to an end; terminate
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to complete (an agreement, a deal, etc) successfully or (of an agreement, deal, etc) to be completed successfully
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to cease or cause to cease to render service
the shop closed at six
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(intr) stock exchange to have a value at the end of a day's trading, as specified
steels closed two points down
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to complete an electrical circuit
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(tr) nautical to pass near
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archaic (tr) to enclose or shut in
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euphemistic to die
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(often foll by to) to ignore
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noun
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the act of closing
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the end or conclusion
the close of the day
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a place of joining or meeting
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law private property, usually enclosed by a fence, hedge, or wall
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a courtyard or quadrangle enclosed by buildings or an entry leading to such a courtyard
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(capital when part of a street name) a small quiet residential road
Hillside Close
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a field
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the precincts of a cathedral or similar building
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the entry from the street to a tenement building
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music another word for cadence
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archaic an encounter in battle; grapple
adjective
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near in space or time; in proximity
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having the parts near together; dense
a close formation
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down or near to the surface; short
a close haircut
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near in relationship
a close relative
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intimate or confidential
a close friend
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almost equal or even
a close contest
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not deviating or varying greatly from a model or standard
a close resemblance
a close translation
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careful, strict, or searching
a close study
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(of a style of play in football, hockey, etc) characterized by short passes
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confined or enclosed
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shut or shut tight
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oppressive, heavy, or airless
a close atmosphere
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strictly guarded
a close prisoner
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neat or tight in fit
a close cap
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secretive or reticent
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miserly; not generous, esp with money
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(of money or credit) hard to obtain; scarce
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restricted as to public admission or membership
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hidden or secluded
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Also: closed. restricted or prohibited as to the type of game or fish able to be taken
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Also: closed. narrow. phonetics denoting a vowel pronounced with the lips relatively close together
adverb
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closely; tightly
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near or in proximity
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nautical sailing as nearly as possible towards the direction from which the wind is blowing See also wind 1
Synonym Usage
Close, shut mean to cause something not to be open. Close suggests blocking an opening or vacant place: to close a breach in a wall. The word shut refers especially to blocking or barring openings intended for entering and leaving: to shut a door, gate, etc., and close can be used in this sense, too: to close a door, gate, etc. See stingy 1. See end 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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closenessnoun
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closernoun
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precloseverb (used with object)
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closableadjective
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closeableadjective
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noncloseadjective
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overcloseadjective
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unclosableadjective
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closelyadverb
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noncloselyadverb
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overcloselyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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closesimple
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closessimple
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have closedperfect
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has closedperfect
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am closingprogressive
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are closingprogressive
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is closingprogressive
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have been closingperfect progressive
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has been closingperfect progressive
Past
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closedsimple
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had closedperfect
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was closingprogressive
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were closingprogressive
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had been closingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of close
First recorded before 1050; (for the adjective and noun) Middle English clos(e), cloce, from Anglo-French, Old French clos, from Latin clausus “shut, closed,” past participle of claudere “to shut, close”; (for the verb) Middle English closen, from Old French clos(e) “shut, closed off,” past participle of clore “to shut, close off”; replacing Old English clȳsan, beclȳsan “to shut in, enclose,” derivative of clūse “bar, enclosure, cloister,” from Medieval Latin clūsa, from Latin clausa, noun use of feminine of clausus
Explanation
To close is to shut something or to end something. You could close a door, close your mouth, or even close a deal. This versatile word usually means "the end" or "near." When a store is closed, you can't go in: the door is closed and locked. When people are close, they are right next to each other — or they're emotionally close to one another. In baseball, the closer is a pitcher who tries to end the game. If your flight had "a close call," it almost crashed. You can close a program on a computer, and you close your eyes when you go to sleep after reading this.
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.
See Examples For:
This includes bolstering London's close ties with Kyiv and plans to strengthen relations with the European Union after the rancour of the Brexit years.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
After going close through more slick attacking play, England dismantled Argentina's scrum, allowing Earl to dot down before another melee broke out during the celebrations.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
“From the outset of the investigation, we have been in close contact with our suppliers to determine whether any ingredients in our supply chain have been identified as part of the investigation,” the chain said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
This weighty destiny also explains why the Higashi villagers went out of their way to keep Yuru close.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
As he’d scavenged, Clare had reverted to walking on all fours, for at certain times, it made sense to keep his nose close to the ground.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Here's a closer look at how things are shaping up.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
"Post-Kimi K3 and open weights models getting closer to the frontier again, I wonder if Anthropic and OpenAI will be allowed to increase their release cadence by the government," Mollick wrote.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
On foreign policy, he has talked of closer ties to the European Union and continuing Britain’s steadfast support for Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
At the same time, the researchers argue that studying terraforming could produce important benefits closer to home.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
Grandma calls out to the figure as we get closer, “Ça va, Lafayette?”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
"Given these results, we're now curious to see if other Australian species, including the closest relatives of extinct megafauna, also experienced population declines before humans arrived," says Mr. Kovacs.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
“When you have 900 fires burning simultaneously, the ones that get the greatest attention are those closest to communities, homes or critical infrastructure.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Electricity is key though, and over time the "winning locations" may not be closest to cities but where there is "reliable, affordable and increasingly low-carbon power at speed", said Ghi.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
We and our two sons had been the closest of families, their father their best friend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The one closest to her was the largest.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
While California law requires park owners to provide relocation assistance to mobile home owners when a park closes, it’s often hard to find a comparable option.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Akzo shares rise 1.9%, Nippon Paint closes 2.1% lower.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
The process for MSs opened the same day as the nomination window for MPs in the UK Labour leadership contest, and closes the day after.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
As the song closes, she makes one last confession: “Everything fades away, except for you.”
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Suddenly Richard closes his eyes and a look of pure sadness comes across his face.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
“It’s something that might be very subtle, and maybe most viewers won’t even notice it, but for me it feels like we’ve closed the distance between the characters.”
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Some petrol stations in Vologda were closed while others -- mostly owned by Russia's main oil giants -- saw drivers clustered in long queues.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
"You had to be selected to attend events and if you weren't, you had to stay home with your curtains closed."
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Elfers also said it was very common for a boat engine, which does not have a closed cooling system like a car, to have a hose that pops or a hose clamp that fails.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The poor intern gulped a hasty good-bye while Betsie and I got mother and baby up to the dining room and closed the door on Fred and his work.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Chalobah was brought on in the closing stages of the win over France for his only minutes of the tournament.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
As their impatience grows, the window for Odysseus to reclaim his kingdom and restore a crumbling world to Zeus’ law — essentially open-hearted hospitality and treating others as you’d be treated — is closing.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
SpaceX shares ended at $131.11 a share on Thursday, closing below the $135-per-share IPO price for the first time.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Post time is at 2 p.m. every day except closing weekend, Sept. 5-7, when it shifts to 1:30.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The police station is full of people moving around, talking, phones ringing, doors opening and closing.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
