closure

American  

[kloh-zher] / ˈkloʊ ʒər /

noun

• closures
  plural

1. the act of closing; the state of being closed.

2. a bringing to an end; conclusion.

3. something that closes or shuts.

4. closer.

5. an architectural screen or parapet, especially one standing free between columns or piers.

6. Phonetics. an occlusion of the vocal tract as an articulatory feature of a particular speech sound.

7. Parliamentary Procedure. a cloture.

8. Surveying. completion of a closed traverse in such a way that the point of origin and the endpoint coincide within an acceptably small margin of error.

9. Mathematics.

   1. the property of being closed with respect to a particular operation.

   2. the intersection of all closed sets that contain a given set.

10. Psychology.

    1. the tendency to see an entire figure even though the picture of it is incomplete, based primarily on the viewer's past experience.

    2. a sense of psychological certainty or completeness.

       a need for closure.

11. Obsolete. something that encloses or shuts in; enclosure.

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verb (used with or without object)

closured, closuring

1. Parliamentary Procedure. to cloture.

closure British  

/ ˈkləʊʒə /

noun

1. the act of closing or the state of being closed

2. an end or conclusion

3. something that closes or shuts, such as a cap or seal for a container

4. (in a deliberative body) a procedure by which debate may be halted and an immediate vote taken See also cloture guillotine gag rule

5. 1. the resolution of a significant event or relationship in a person's life

   2. a sense of contentment experienced after such a resolution

6. geology the vertical distance between the crest of an anticline and the lowest contour that surrounds it

7. phonetics the obstruction of the breath stream at some point along the vocal tract, such as the complete occlusion preliminary to the articulation of a stop

8. logic

   1. the closed sentence formed from a given open sentence by prefixing universal or existential quantifiers to bind all its free variables

   2. the process of forming such a closed sentence

9. maths

   1. the smallest closed set containing a given set

   2. the operation of forming such a set

10. psychol the tendency, first noted by Gestalt psychologists, to see an incomplete figure like a circle with a gap in it as more complete than it is

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verb

1. (tr) (in a deliberative body) to end (debate) by closure

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonclosure
  noun
• preclosure
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• closures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of closure

1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French < Latin clausūra. See close, -ure

Explanation

Closure is the end or the closing down of something. It can be physical — like the closure of your local library — or emotional, like the closure you experience when you finally come to terms with the end of a romance. Closure comes from the Latin claus ("shut"), and it has many different shades of meaning. A road closure blocks that road from traffic. If you find closure after an emotional hardship, you're ready to move on. An obstruction in a small passage, like a pipe, is also a closure, as is the button on your sweater. In debate, closure (usually cloture), stops debate and starts the vote.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

closure closures closured

Beatty filed a lawsuit against the administration to block the name change and closure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Summer is generally the region’s busiest season, but the demand has seemed even higher this year following the lengthy Highway 1 closure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The board on Thursday also voted to proceed with a two-year closure for proposed renovations, which was earlier blocked by a federal judge.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Swarms of jellyfish have also forced nuclear plants to shut down elsewhere, including a three-day closure in Sweden in 2013 and a 1999 incident in Japan that caused a major drop in output.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

“I think it was some closure for myself,” he says, but then he pauses.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

This included three scenarios: a full closure, a partial closure over a period of five years and a limited series of phased closures, sources close to the situation told the AP, asking to remain anonymous.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The closures will make up about 30% of the company’s footprint.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Heatwaves this summer have brought travel disruption, overheating homes and school closures for millions - and there is a fifth heatwave expected to hit this week.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

On Sunday -- before the latest closures -- France recorded a shortfall of 15.6 percent in nuclear power production, according to AFP calculations based on EDF data published since 2015.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

A list of school district closures scrolls across the bottom of the screen.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Theatres are facing lower sales from the cost-of-living crisis only a year after most re-opened following closured prompted by Covid lockdowns.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2022

Christian's response was closured by a wild outcry from the wood, hounds and horn lifting up their voices together in sudden delirium.

From Mount Music by Martin Ross

"I've never met him," he answered, and closured my next question by jumping up and helping Mrs. Wylton out of the taxi.

From The Sixth Sense A Novel by Stephen McKenna

After another fight, the Government closured through an Appropriation Bill covering Supply for ten weeks, and the House was dissolved on 31st August, the election being fixed for 2nd October.

From Our First Half-Century: A Review of Queensland Progress Based Upon Official Information by Queensland

A further list of closured stations Elicits further protestations.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 152, January 10, 1917 by Various

Related Words

• closing
• stoppage
• termination