close quarters

American  

[klohs] / kloʊs /

noun

1. a small, cramped place or position.

2. direct and close contact in a fight.

   They met at close quarters, exchanging many quick jabs.

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close quarters British  

/ kləʊs /

plural noun

1. a narrow cramped space or position

2. 1. engaged in hand-to-hand combat

   2. in close proximity; very near together

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Etymology

Origin of close quarters

First recorded in 1745–55

Example Sentences

Epidemiologists had previously found hints that the Andes virus may be transmitted from one person to another under certain circumstances, such as close, sustained contact in close quarters, like a small cruise ship.

From Salon • May 9, 2026

Infections are a risk on cruises given the close quarters.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Mpox is unlikely to spread through casual contact, or in close quarters like on a plane or in an office or store, state health officials say.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

“Anytime you have a gathering of kids in close quarters, you risk sharing germs,” says Elizabeth Murray, a pediatrician in Rochester, New York.

From Slate • Jan. 9, 2026

They would have to live well together in close quarters for weeks at a time—traveling, eating, sleeping, and racing without internal friction among them.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown