Word.ws English Dictionary

overclose

overclose adjective: in too great a proximity.

Adjective

overclose (comparative more overclose, superlative most overclose)

  1. In too great a proximity.
    • She knew he was being only sensible, pity rather, and she said she was sorry, and they didn't stand overclose after that, the weight of the rain was seeping through the branches and now a great low gust of wind swept up the park, driving the soft ground spray in their faces.2013, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Grey Granite, →ISBN
  2. Having too great an emotional attachment.
    • As the child grows older mother and child have to separate, a complex process in which both child and parent need to find the right balance between love and intimacy, without becoming overclose, sexual or incestuous.2012, Michael Jacobs, The Presenting Past
  3. Lacking adequate ventilation; stuffy.
    • Cows are also more liable to congestion of the lungs and to tuberculosis than are other cattle. The former may be induced by being kept in overclose, hot, and badly ventilated houses, rendering them liable to chills when turned out; and there is no doubt tuberculosis is largely spread by the...1908, Charles Edward Green, D. Young, Encyclopædia of Agriculture

Verb

overclose (third-person singular simple present overcloses, present participle overclosing, simple past and past participle overclosed)

  1. To close prematurely or excessively.
  2. To form a closed universe before it has attained its present age.

Forms of overclose

Adjective
comparativemore overclose
superlativemost overclose
Verb
third-person singular presentovercloses
present participleoverclosing
past participleoverclosed
pastoverclosed

Origin of overclose

From Middle English overclose, equivalent to over- + close (adjective).

From Middle English overclosen, equivalent to over- + close (verb).

Questions about overclose

What does overclose mean?
Overclose means in too great a proximity.
What part of speech is overclose?
Overclose can be an adjective or a verb.

Words near overclose in the dictionary

  1. overclocker
  2. overclockers
  3. overclocking
  4. overclockings
  5. overclocks
  6. overclose
  7. overclosed
  8. overclosely
  9. overcloseness
  10. overcloses
  11. overclosing

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: overclose (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.

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