close-up

or close·up

[ klohs-uhp ]

noun

1. a photograph taken at close range or with a long focal-length lens, on a relatively large scale.
2. 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. Compare long shot ( def 3 ), medium shot.
3. an intimate view or presentation of anything.

adjective

1. of or resembling a close-up.
2. intimate or detailed; close-in.

close-up

/ ˈkləʊsˌʌp /

noun

1. a photograph or film or television shot taken at close range
2. a detailed or intimate view or examination

   a close-up of modern society

verb

1. to shut entirely
2. intr to draw together

   the ranks closed up

3. intr (of wounds) to heal completely

Word History and Origins

Origin of close-up¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1910–15; noun use of adverbial phrase close up

Idioms and Phrases

Also, close up shop . Stop doing business, temporarily or permanently; also, stop working. For example, The bank is closing up all its overseas branches , or That's enough work for one day—I'm closing up shop and going home . [Late 1500s]

Example Sentences

It remains unclear whether Qatari authorities intervened or the organizers decided to close up shop because of media attention.

From The Daily Beast

Reports began trickling out in the press this week that GOProud had decided to close up shop.

From The Daily Beast

The video starts with a close up of Avril, who chants a couple of Japanese phrases with wide, black-lined badger eyes.

From The Daily Beast

For a man who just filmed a close up of a real-life horror film, he seems virtually emotionless.

From The Daily Beast

Jacobs leaked a photo to Instagram, which featued a shadowed close-up of Lange's gorgeous face.

From The Daily Beast

We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.

From Project Gutenberg

You could not see the water till you got close up, and at a distance only the rows of gas jets were apparent.

From Project Gutenberg

The inner tube has an internal flanch, to which a flat circular plate is screwed to close up the tube.

From Project Gutenberg

The revelation was made soon after tea, when she sidled close up to him as they paced slowly along the sea-front in the dusk.

From Project Gutenberg

When they saw the Federals had halted, they also halted, taking time to close up, and that was just what Lawrence wanted.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cut off
• gag
• muffle
• mute
• muzzle
• quash
• quell
• squelch
• stifle
• subdue
• suppress