close

Verb

close (third-person singular simple present closes, present participle closing, simple past and past participle closed)

1. (ambitransitive, physical) To move a thing, or part of a thing, nearer to another so that the gap or opening between the two is removed.
   • Close the door behind you when you leave.
   • Many flowers close at night.

   Synonyms:

   close up, shut

   Antonyms:

   open

2. (physical, transitive) To obstruct or block.
   • They closed the road for the festival.
   • Ice has closed the channel to shipping.

   Synonyms:

   close off, close up, shut, shut off

   Antonyms:

   open

3. (intransitive, physical) To become denser or more crowded with objects.
   • As we penetrated further, the forest closed around us.
4. (figuratively, intransitive, physical, transitive) To make or become unreceptive.
   • He has closed his mind to new ideas.
5. (intransitive, physical, transitive, gas and liquid flow) To move to a position preventing fluid from flowing.
6. (intransitive, physical, transitive, fuse or circuit breaker) To move to a position allowing electricity to flow.
7. (physical) To grapple; to engage in close combat.
   • They boldly closed in a hand-to-hand contest.1856-1858, William H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Phillip II
8. (especially, intransitive, physical, transitive) To angle (a club, bat or other hitting implement) downwards and/or (for a right-hander) anticlockwise of straight.
9. (transitive) To end or conclude.
   • The committee chairman made a few concluding remarks and then closed the session.
   • to close a bargain; to close a course of instruction

   Synonyms:

   complete, end, finish, wind up, wrap up

   Antonyms:

   begin, commence, initiate, start

10. (intransitive) To finish; to come to an end.
    • The debate closed at six o'clock.

    Synonyms:

    end, finish, wind up, wrap up

    Antonyms:

    begin, commence, start

11. (ergative) To conclude (a sale).
12. (transitive) To perform as the final act at (a show etc.).
    • Nirvana closed the festival.

Noun (1)

close (plural closes)

1. An end or conclusion.
   • We owe them our thanks for bringing the project to a successful close.
   • His long and troubled life was drawing to a close.1878, Thomas Babington Macaulay, “Francis Atterbury”, in Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition
2. The manner of shutting; the union of parts; junction.
   • The doors of plank were; their close exquisite.1614–1615, Homer, “(please specify the book number)”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., Homer’s Odysses. […], London: […] Rich[ard] Field [and William Jaggard], for Nathaniell Butter, published 1615...
3. (sales) The point at the end of a sales pitch when the consumer is asked to buy.
   • Regardless of the situation, the minute you feel it's time for the close, try it.1983, Charles B. Roth, Roy Alexander, Secrets of Closing Sales, page 110

   Synonyms:

   closer

4. A grapple in wrestling.
   • The intestine shocke, And furious cloze of ciuill Butchery.c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
5. The conclusion of a strain of music; cadence.
   • At every close she made, the attending throng / Replied, and bore the burden of the song.1700, [John] Dryden, “The Flower and the Leaf: Or, The Lady in the Arbour. A Vision.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC
6. A double bar marking the end.
7. The time when check-in staff will no longer accept passengers for a flight.

Adjective

UK/kləʊs/US/kloʊs/

close (comparative closer, superlative closest)

1. At little distance; near in space or time.
   • Is your house close?
   • Christmas is getting close.

   Synonyms:

   close by

2. Almost, but not quite (getting to an answer, goal, or other state); near.
   • No, but you were close.
   • We were so close to winning!
3. Almost resulting in disaster.
   • Phew! That was close!
4. Nearly equal; almost evenly balanced; almost exactly matching.
   • Their ages are quite close.
   • His face is a close fit with the artist's impression.
5. Adhering strictly to a standard or original; exact or nearly so.
   • a close translation; a close copy
6. Intimate or immediate in personal relationship.
   • He is a close friend.
   • My brother and I were close when we were younger, but not so much now.
7. Involving a tight connection; involving frequent communication, shared or cooperative activity, etc.
   • We have a close affiliation with the college.
   • I keep in close contact with my former colleagues.
8. Nearing orgasm.
9. (archaic outside certain phrases) Physically narrow or confined.
   • a close alley; close quarters; close confines
   • [...] he took to wondering what possible temptation could have induced a dingy-looking fly that was crawling over his pantaloons, to come into a close prison, when he had the choice of so many airy situations [...]1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, chapter 41, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLC
10. Tight, with little space separating components or elements.
    • For this job it's best to use wood with a close grain.
    • These trousers are a close fit.
11. Strictly confined; carefully guarded.
    • He was captured and kept a close prisoner.
12. Tightly restricted in availability.
    • The pregnancy was a close secret.
    • His lawyers have so far kept this information close.

Adverb

UK/kləʊs/US/kloʊs/

close (comparative closer, superlative closest)

1. So as to leave or create little distance or space between objects.
   • The car behind was following too close and could not brake in time.
   • Please stay close together.
2. Carefully, in detail.
   • Look close at the pictures.
3. In combination (sometimes potentially ambiguous between adverb and adjective).
   • close-packed, close-knit, close-fitting

Noun (2)

UK/kləʊs/US/kloʊs/

close (plural closes)

1. (UK) A street that ends in a dead end.

   Synonyms:

   cul-de-sac

2. (historical) Private fenced land, such as a paddock, orchard or yard, that, along with the common pasture land and woodland, constituted the inarable component of the open-field system of the medieval manor in England.
   • To be SOLD, At Mr. PACEY's, the WHITE LION in Nottingham, on Thursday the 28th Day of May, between the Hours of three and six in the Afternoon; THE INHERITANCE in Fee Simple of the MANOR of ALSWORTH, otherwise AWSWORTH, in the County of Nottingham, and also several Messuages and Tenements, with the...1778 May 1, “Classified Advertisement”, in Derby Mercury, page 4
   • By 1765, rapid enclosure was underway in the surrounding area (open fields replaced by the modern system of private fields). By the time of the 1846 ‘Tithe Map and Award’ very little remained of the original agricultural system other than indications in field names, such as Ginn Close, Straw Close...2021, Michael Smith, Stuart Lee, Lydia Ball, David Bamford, Don Foster, John Mortimer, Richard Paxton, Carol Sanderson, Dawn Savage, Graham Spencer, James Woodward, Awsworth Neighbourhood Plan...
3. (Yorkshire, archaic) An enclosed field, especially a field enclosed around a (usually religious) building (e.g. a cathedral close).
4. (Scotland) A very narrow alley between two buildings, often overhung by one of the buildings above the ground floor.

   Synonyms:

   alley

5. (Scotland) The common staircase in a tenement.
   • The woman nodded at a nearby flight of steps. 'This is my close. We can talk in here. Come on.'.2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 279
   • closes surrounded by the venerable abodes of deans and canons.1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter III, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and...
6. The interest which one may have in a piece of ground, even though it is not enclosed.

Proper noun capitalized: Close

UK/kləʊs/

Close (plural Closes)

1. A surname.