close-up
noun
a photograph taken at close range or with a long focal-length lens, on a relatively large scale.
close-up
American
[klohs-uhp]
/ ˈkloʊsˌʌp /
Or
closeup
noun
-
close-ups
plural
-
a photograph taken at close range or with a long focal-length lens, on a relatively large scale.
-
Also called close shot. Movies, Television. a camera shot taken at a very short distance from the subject, to permit a close and detailed view of an object or action.
-
an intimate view or presentation of anything.
adjective
-
of or resembling a close-up.
-
intimate or detailed; close-in.
close-up
British
/ ˈkləʊsˌʌp /
noun
-
a photograph or film or television shot taken at close range
-
a detailed or intimate view or examination
a close-up of modern society
verb
-
to shut entirely
-
(intr) to draw together
the ranks closed up
-
(intr) (of wounds) to heal completely
close up
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of close-up
An Americanism first recorded in 1910–15; noun use of adverbial phrase close up
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:
One is left with the impression that this is the double perspective—both close-up, and global—that defined Church’s quest to discover nature’s beauty along with its fierce spectacle, whether at home or abroad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
One of them, Abdol Rahman, took the BBC through the strait for a close-up view of how the war has affected life in and around Bandar Abbas.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
The imagery in “Minions & Monsters” can be ingenious, like the galumphing tentacles on an oversize squid or the close-up shot that goes inside a director’s megaphone to see his tongue waggling at the screen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
During the flyby, the spacecraft captured the first close-up images and collected detailed scientific measurements.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026
After the sympathy-generating close-up of the kid, the father, dressed in a shabby suit, took us up onto the roof of the building.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
Viewing an early medieval embroidery close up is quite something.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
“It’s an American tragedy” when small businesses close up shop.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Regulators voted to hold off plans until 2030 after two major oil refineries threatened to close up shop in the state.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
Shares traded as high as $386.34 during the session, but retreated slightly from those highs to close up 67% at $311.07.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
He had to find the right routes to untangle the mess, or it would just close up again like a rock and probably stay that way forever.
From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli
There are also unverified posts claiming to be close-ups of the boys' faces, raising the risk of other children being wrongly identified.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The show was always brilliant at orchestrating moods, with its slow-fast, quiet-loud contrasts, its extreme close-ups and noisy action scenes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Anthropic and OpenAI will have their close-ups when they debut later, maybe in late summer or fall.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
“You have to understand camera composition, which shots are changed. Like you can’t have two close-ups back to back, you have to start with an establishing shot,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
Doubt was spreading through the room like the cold germs seen in one of those slow-motion close-ups of a sneeze.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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.
