close down

/ kləʊz /

verb

1. to cease or cause to cease operations

   the shop closed down

2. (tr) sport to mark or move towards (an opposing player) in order to prevent him or her running with the ball or making or receiving a pass

noun

1. a closure or stoppage of operations, esp in a factory

2. radio television the end of a period of broadcasting, esp late at night

Idioms and Phrases

Also, close one's doors ; shut down . Go out of business, end operations. For example, If the rent goes up we'll have to close down , or After fifty years in business the store finally closed its doors , or The warehouse had a clearance sale the month before it shut down for good . Also see close up , def. 2.

Force someone to go out of business, as in The police raided the porn shop and closed it down . Both usages date from the early 1900s, but shut down was first recorded in 1877.

Related Words

• adjourn 
• arrest 
• bar 
• block 
• break off 
• cease 
• curb 
• deter 
• end 
• hamper 
• impede 
• interrupt 
• stall 
• stem 
• stop 
• suspend 
• terminate