close quarters
Americannoun
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a small, cramped place or position.
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direct and close contact in a fight.
They met at close quarters, exchanging many quick jabs.
plural noun
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a narrow cramped space or position
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engaged in hand-to-hand combat
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in close proximity; very near together
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Etymology
Origin of close quarters
First recorded in 1745–55
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.
Mpox is unlikely to spread through casual contact, or in close quarters like on a plane or in an office or store, state health officials say.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
In Minneapolis, those officers are walking and driving through the largely residential city looking for people to arrest—and coming into close quarters with angry and organized residents.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026
“Anytime you have a gathering of kids in close quarters, you risk sharing germs,” says Elizabeth Murray, a pediatrician in Rochester, New York.
From Slate • Jan. 9, 2026
Scotland battled bravely at close quarters - especially on their own line - but gave away two soft tries as a result of weak defence further up the pitch.
From BBC • Nov. 8, 2025
Malcolm had never seen a baby at close quarters, and he was struck at once by how real she seemed.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
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.
