near, as to a common center; adjacent, especially to a city.
The city is enveloping its close-in suburbs.
occurring or provided at close quarters.
Fighter planes provided daring close-in air support.
(of days) to become shorter with the approach of winter
to advance (on) so as to encircle or surround
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]
Also, . Draw in, approach, as in The police closed in on the suspect . [Early 1800s]
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The company had previously anticipated fares for the summer season to rise by low single-digit percentages, but said the final outcome will depend on close-in peak bookings and fares.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
The results show that about 9-10% of Sun-like stars host a close-in planet.
From Science Daily ● May 3, 2026
“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
One new program offers a credit of up to $250,000 on Portland’s business license tax for employers that sign a new lease downtown or in other close-in neighborhoods.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 23, 2024
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
The shop had already said before the raid that it would close in August, citing the social environment, its financial situation and "the elusive red line".
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
It’s less jarring than “I want you close in case of an emergency.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter, and the agreement includes a 40-day ‘go-shop’ period for alternative proposals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The merger had been expected to close in mid-2026, but Trump Media said last month that it will happen “in the fourth quarter of 2026 or sooner.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
They were leaving, because the attendant was telling them that the museum would close in ten minutes.
From "The Subtle Knife" 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.
