Word: close Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English closen (“to close, enclose”), partly continuing (in altered form) earlier Middle English clusen (“to close”) from Old English clȳsan (“to close, shut”); compare beclose, foreclose, etc.), and partly derived from Middle English clos (“close, shut up, confined, secret”, adjective), from Old French clos (“close, confined”, adjective), from Latin clausus (“shut up”, past participle), from claudō (“to bar, block, close, enclose, bring an end to, confine”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂w- (“key, hook, nail”), related to Latin clāvis (“key, deadbolt, bar”), clāvus (“nail, peg”), claustrum (“bar, bolt, barrier”), claustra (“dam, wall, barricade, stronghold”). Cognate with Ancient Greek κλείω (kleíō), κλείς (kleís, “bar, bolt, key”), Russian заключи́ть (zaključítʹ) (via ключ (ključ)), German schließen (“to close, conclude, lock”), Dutch sluiten (“to close, conclude, lock”). Partially replaced Old English lūcan (“to close, lock, enclose”), (whence English lock). Doublet of clause. Pronunciation: /ˈkləʊz/, [ˈkʰl̥əʊ̯z], /ˈklɵʊ̯z/, [ˈkʰl̥ɵ̞ʊ̯z], /ˈkloʊ̯z/ 1. To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through. Labels: ambitransitive, physical Example: Close the door behind you when you leave. Example: Many flowers close at night. 2. To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through. Labels: physical, transitive Example: They closed the road for the festival. Example: Ice has closed the channel to shipping. 3. To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through. Labels: intransitive, physical Example: As we penetrated further, the forest closed around us. 4. To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through. Labels: figuratively, intransitive, physical, transitive Example: He has closed his mind to new ideas. 5. To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through. Labels: intransitive, physical, transitive 6. To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through. Labels: intransitive, physical, transitive 7. To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through. Labels: physical Example: 1856-1858, William H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Phillip II They boldly closed in a hand-to-hand contest. 8. To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through. Labels: especially, intransitive, physical, transitive 9. To finish. Labels: transitive Example: The committee chairman made a few concluding remarks and then closed the session. Example: to close a bargain; to close a course of instruction 10. To finish. Labels: intransitive Example: The debate closed at six o'clock. 11. To finish. Labels: ergative 12. To finish. Labels: transitive Example: Nirvana closed the festival. 13. To finish. Labels: transitive Example: He has closed the last two games for his team. 14. To finish. Labels: transitive 15. To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use. Labels: transitive Example: We are closing the phone lines at 9 pm. Example: Your account has been closed because of non-payment. 16. To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use. Labels: intransitive Example: Phone lines will close in ten minutes. Example: Our options are closing fast. 17. To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use. Labels: intransitive Example: The supermarket closes at eight o'clock. Example: Lots of shops in the town centre have closed because of the recession. 18. To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use. Labels: intransitive Example: Whoever closed last night forgot to turn off the closet light. 19. To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use. Labels: ergative Example: Close the file when you have finished reading data. Example: This app has a bug: when you try to sort a large spreadsheet, it closes. 20. To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use. Labels: Cyprus, Philippines, Quebec Example: Please close the lights, the (electric) fan, the TV. 21. To come or gather around; to enclose. Labels: figuratively Example: The depth closed me round about. Example: But now Thou dost Thyself immure and close / In some one corner of a feeble heart; / Where yet both Sinne and Satan, Thy old foes, / Do pinch and straiten Thee, and use much art / To gain Thy thirds' and little part. 22. To have a vector sum of 0; that is, to form a closed polygon.