close-in
Americanadjective
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near, as to a common center; adjacent, especially to a city.
The city is enveloping its close-in suburbs.
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occurring or provided at close quarters.
Fighter planes provided daring close-in air support.
verb
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(of days) to become shorter with the approach of winter
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to advance (on) so as to encircle or surround
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Surround, enclose, envelop, as in The fog closed in and we couldn't see two yards in front of us , or She felt the room was closing in . [c. 1400]
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Also, . Draw in, approach, as in The police closed in on the suspect . [Early 1800s]
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.
“As always we expect a conservative initial view from Carnival with close-in demand and onboard spending being swing factors on how the quarter unfolds,” he added.
From Barron's • Dec. 18, 2025
“Down goes Moorer on a right hand!. An unbelievably close-in right-hand shot! “It happened!
From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2025
These details, especially of the close-in Zeta ring, will be invaluable to planning any future missions to Uranus.
From Science Daily • Dec. 19, 2023
Analysts said the general likely was also bringing a cautionary message to underscore the risks a conventional army faces in such a chaotic and close-in environment.
From Washington Times • Nov. 6, 2023
Then she found Myers Park, a prosperous, close-in community of 8,700 where most of the houses are more than sixty years old and ten minutes from downtown.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
