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close season

British  
/ kləʊs /

noun

  1. the period of the year when it is prohibited to kill certain game or fish

  2. sport the period of the year when there is no domestic competition

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

That presents an interesting dynamic heading into the close season.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

The 45-year-old had no previous managerial experience when he was hired on a three-year contract to replace Thomas Frank in the close season.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

After returning to Leipzig in the close season, he made only three Bundesliga appearances this season.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

Their close season, though, was overshadowed by the most devastating news.

From BBC • Sep. 1, 2025

It was the close season for wild fowl, and nobody knew it better than they.

From The Second Chance by McClung, Nellie L.

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.