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:
But then toward the climax, Einbinder has a powerful close-up that puts the film back in her pocket.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The spacecraft's close-up measurements revealed a more complicated reality.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026
She got on her new employer’s radar through a referral, and her page was ready for its close-up when the time came.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
A new visitor attraction will also be built at the seabird centre, using live 360 degree cameras so people can virtually experience the puffins and gannets close-up.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
It was left for Voyager 2 to acquire the first close-up pictures of Europa, where we see things that are only a few kilometers across.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
I saw the stadium close up on a quick visit to New Jersey this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 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
The stock climbed as much as 108.8% above its IPO price, to an intraday high of $386.34, before paring gains to close up 68.2% at $311.07.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
Flooffee’s horrified face appeared close up in the communicator screen.
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
Anthropic and OpenAI will have their close-ups when they debut later, maybe in late summer or fall.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
Some videos show puppies frolicking or close-ups of squirrels, others stream loops of squishy toys enjoyed by other animals or humans.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
The light on Mag is framed like a melodramatic diva’s spotlight, and the close-ups of Delano’s electric purple lip gloss and severe makeup heighten the sequence’s sense of surrealism.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2026
Other close-ups are less effective—for example, those fixed on the hands and arms of Romeo and Juliet for their “balcony” interlude, where their bare limbs interact in less-than-memorable choreographic configurations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
Ever since the Kerkopes dwarf twins had short-circuited the walls, the real-time video feed from Camp Half-Blood often fuzzed out, changing into playback of extreme dwarf close-ups - red whiskers, nostrils and bad dental work.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
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.
