closed in

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To enclose, lock up inside something.
2. (intransitive) To come or approach nearer to someone being pursued.
   • The police had not yet caught the thieves, but were closing in.
3. To become closer, surround.
   • Then we pass through Bebington station, and, entering a cutting, become aware of the usual signs of approach to an urban area—buildings closing in, an all-round increase in smokiness, and the application of brakes.1955 January, R. S. McNaught, “From the Severn to the Mersey by Great Western”, in Railway Magazine, page 21