Word.ws English Dictionary

close, but no cigar

Syllables: close, but no ci·garUK/ˈkləʊs bʌt nəʊ sɪˈɡɑː/US/ˈkloʊs bʌt noʊ sɪˈɡɑɹ/

close, but no cigar phrase: used to indicate that one is almost correct or has almost succeeded, but not quite.

Phrase

close, but no cigar

  1. (colloquial, idiomatic) Used to indicate that one is almost correct or has almost succeeded, but not quite.
    • Betty ran all out in the sprint race; yet, it was close, but no cigar.
    • The long distance trophy [for alumni who had traveled the furthest to attend the reunion], an appropriately inscribed silver cigarette case, was awarded to Em Gooch who had made the trip from Lincoln, Neb. for the occasion. Several other members came close, but no cigar, and we trust that all those...1929 July 2, J. C. R., “’28’s First”, in Asa S[mith] Bushnell [III], editor, Princeton Alumni Weekly, volume XXIX, number 36, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1166...

Synonyms of close, but no cigar

Forms of close, but no cigar

alternative formclose but no cigar

Origin of close, but no cigar

From the practice of giving cigars as prizes at carnivals in the United States in the 20th century; those who did not win would fail to receive a cigar, even if they came close.

Questions about close, but no cigar

What does close, but no cigar mean?
Close, but no cigar means used to indicate that one is almost correct or has almost succeeded, but not quite.
What part of speech is close, but no cigar?
Close, but no cigar is a phrase.
How do you pronounce close, but no cigar?
Close, but no cigar is pronounced /ˈkləʊs bʌt nəʊ sɪˈɡɑː/ (UK).

Words near close, but no cigar in the dictionary

  1. close together
  2. close up
  3. close up shop
  4. close with
  5. close with a buck
  6. close, but no cigar
  7. close-back
  8. close-bodied
  9. close-coupled
  10. close-cropped
  11. close-ear

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: close, but no cigar (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-close, but no cigar.ogg.

Cite this entry: “close, but no cigar.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/close%2C_but_no_cigar. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.