close
Part of speech: verb
noun
adj
adv
Morphological type: simple
Topics: aeronautics
aerospace
aviation
ball-games
baseball
business
climatology
computing
electrical-engineering
electricity
electromagnetism
energy
engineering
entertainment
finance
games
geography
government
heraldry
hobbies
human-sciences
law
lifestyle
linguistics
marketing
mathematics
meteorology
monarchy
music
natural-sciences
nobility
phonetics
phonology
physical-sciences
physics
politics
sciences
sex
sexuality
sports
surveying
tourism
transport
travel
weather
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.
Inflected forms:
form: closes
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: closing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: closed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: closed
pos: verb
tags: past
form: no-table-tags
pos: verb
tags: table-tags
form: glossary
pos: verb
tags: inflection-template
form: close
pos: verb
tags: infinitive
form: close
pos: verb
tags: first-person
present
singular
form: closed
pos: verb
tags: first-person
past
singular
form: close
pos: verb
tags: present
second-person
singular
form: closest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
second-person
singular
form: closed
pos: verb
tags: past
second-person
singular
form: closedst
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
second-person
singular
form: closes
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: closeth
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
singular
third-person
form: closed
pos: verb
tags: past
singular
third-person
form: close
pos: verb
tags: plural
present
form: closed
pos: verb
tags: past
plural
form: close
pos: verb
tags: present
subjunctive
form: closed
pos: verb
tags: past
subjunctive
form: close
pos: verb
tags: imperative
present
form: -
pos: verb
tags: imperative
past
form: closing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: closed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: closes
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: closer
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: closest
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: closer
pos: adv
tags: comparative
form: closest
pos: adv
tags: superlative
Senses:
gloss: To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
pos: verb
tags: ambitransitive
physical
examples: Close the door behind you when you leave.
Many flowers close at night.
Jim closed his eyes and reclined back in his chair.
The runner in second place is closing the gap on the leader.
to close the ranks of an army
What deep wounds ever closed without a scar?
If I close my eyes I can see Marie today as I saw her then. Round, rosy face, snub nose, dark hair piled up in a chignon.
gloss: To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
pos: verb
tags: physical
transitive
examples: They closed the road for the festival.
Ice has closed the channel to shipping.
gloss: To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
physical
examples: As we penetrated further, the forest closed around us.
gloss: To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
intransitive
physical
transitive
examples: He has closed his mind to new ideas.
gloss: To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
physical
transitive
gloss: To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
physical
transitive
gloss: To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
pos: verb
tags: physical
examples: 1856-1858, William H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Phillip II
They boldly closed in a hand-to-hand contest.
gloss: To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
pos: verb
tags: especially
intransitive
physical
transitive
gloss: To finish.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The committee chairman made a few concluding remarks and then closed the session.
to close a bargain;   to close a course of instruction
One frugal supper did our studies close.
If these brief lays, of Sorrow born,
⁠Were taken to be such as closed
⁠Grave doubts and answers here proposed,
Then these were such as men might scorn: […]
gloss: To finish.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: The debate closed at six o'clock.
gloss: To finish.
pos: verb
tags: ergative
gloss: To finish.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Nirvana closed the festival.
gloss: To finish.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: He has closed the last two games for his team.
gloss: To finish.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: We are closing the phone lines at 9 pm.
Your account has been closed because of non-payment.
They closed the airport because of a bomb scare.
gloss: To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: Phone lines will close in ten minutes.
Our options are closing fast.
gloss: To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: The supermarket closes at eight o'clock.
Lots of shops in the town centre have closed because of the recession.
The FTSE 100 closed up 1.2%.
gloss: To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: Whoever closed last night forgot to turn off the closet light.
gloss: To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use.
pos: verb
tags: ergative
examples: Close the file when you have finished reading data.
This app has a bug: when you try to sort a large spreadsheet, it closes.
gloss: To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use.
pos: verb
tags: Cyprus
Philippines
Quebec
examples: Please close the lights, the (electric) fan, the TV.
gloss: To come or gather around; to enclose.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
examples: The depth closed me round about.
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.
gloss: To have a vector sum of 0; that is, to form a closed polygon.
pos: verb
gloss: An end or conclusion.
pos: noun
examples: We owe them our thanks for bringing the project to a successful close.
His long and troubled life was drawing to a close.
gloss: The manner of shutting; the union of parts; junction.
pos: noun
examples: The doors of plank were; their close exquisite.
gloss: The point at the end of a sales pitch when the consumer is asked to buy.
pos: noun
examples: Regardless of the situation, the minute you feel it's time for the close, try it.
gloss: A grapple in wrestling.
pos: noun
examples: The intestine shocke, And furious cloze of ciuill Butchery.
gloss: The conclusion of a strain of music; cadence.
pos: noun
examples: At every close she made, the attending throng / Replied, and bore the burden of the song.
gloss: A double bar marking the end.
pos: noun
gloss: The time when check-in staff will no longer accept passengers for a flight.
pos: noun
gloss: Having little difference or distance in place, position, or abstractly; see also close to.
pos: adj
examples: Is your house close?
Christmas is getting close.
[…] St. Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London. Close-packed, crushed by the buttressed height of the railway viaduct, rendered airless by huge walls of factories, it at once banished lively interest from a stranger's mind and left only a dull oppression of the spirit.
gloss: Having little difference or distance in place, position, or abstractly; see also close to.
pos: adj
examples: No, but you were close.
We were so close to winning!
She wasn't quite in tears but she was close.
Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend.
gloss: Having little difference or distance in place, position, or abstractly; see also close to.
pos: adj
examples: Phew! That was close!
gloss: Having little difference or distance in place, position, or abstractly; see also close to.
pos: adj
examples: Their ages are quite close.
His face is a close fit with the artist's impression.
It was a close contest.
gloss: Having little difference or distance in place, position, or abstractly; see also close to.
pos: adj
examples: a close translation; a close copy
gloss: Having little difference or distance in place, position, or abstractly; see also close to.
pos: adj
examples: He is a close friend.
My brother and I were close when we were younger, but not so much now.
For Christmas we just had a few close relatives round.
a close colleague; a close ally
gloss: Having little difference or distance in place, position, or abstractly; see also close to.
pos: adj
examples: We have a close affiliation with the college.
I keep in close contact with my former colleagues.
gloss: Having little difference or distance in place, position, or abstractly; see also close to.
pos: adj
gloss: Compressed, restricted, constrained, etc.
pos: adj
examples: 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 [...]
gloss: Compressed, restricted, constrained, etc.
pos: adj
examples: For this job it's best to use wood with a close grain.
These trousers are a close fit.
gloss: Compressed, restricted, constrained, etc.
pos: adj
examples: He was captured and kept a close prisoner.
gloss: Compressed, restricted, constrained, etc.
pos: adj
examples: The pregnancy was a close secret.
His lawyers have so far kept this information close.
gloss: Compressed, restricted, constrained, etc.
pos: adj
gloss: Compressed, restricted, constrained, etc.
pos: adj
examples: If the rooms be low-roofed, or full of windows and doors, the one maketh the air close, [...] and the other maketh it exceeding unequal.
1907, Algernon Blackwood, The Dance of Death …the artificial light and close air of his high office stool …
He sighed drowsily. The atmosphere of the auction room was close; you weren't allowed to smoke; and altogether he was beginning to regret that he had come.
gloss: Compressed, restricted, constrained, etc.
pos: adj
tags: Ireland
UK
gloss: Compressed, restricted, constrained, etc.
pos: adj
tags: archaic
examples: The golden globe being put into a press, [...] the water made itself way through the pores of that very close metal.
gloss: Rigorous, careful, etc.
pos: adj
examples: The patient was kept under close observation.
Keep a close eye on him.
I must acknowledge that hitherto I have discover’d no other way to keep our Thoughts cloſe to their Buſineſs, but the endeavouring as much as we can, and by frequent Attention and Application, getting the habit of Attention and Application.
gloss: Rigorous, careful, etc.
pos: adj
examples: This issue merits close examination.
Unfortunately, on close reading of the Ts and Cs, it appears that your insurance does not cover this.
gloss: Rigorous, careful, etc.
pos: adj
gloss: Short.
pos: adj
examples: to cut grass or hair close
gloss: Closed, shut.
pos: adj
tags: archaic
examples: There is no thinge ſo cloſe / that ſhall not be openned / and no thinge ſo hyd that ſhall not be knowen.
As the alchymists were assiduous workmen—as they mixed all the metals, salts, &c... and subjected such mixtures to the action of heat in close vessels, their labours were occasionally repaid by the discovery of new substances...
I mounted into the window-seat: gathering up my feet, I sat cross-legged, like a Turk; and, having drawn the red moreen curtain nearly close, I was shrined in double retirement.
gloss: Articulated with the tongue body relatively close to the hard palate.
pos: adj
gloss: With its wings at its side, closed, held near to its body (typically also statant); (of wings) in this posture.
pos: adj
examples: Crest, a cockatrice, wings close, vert, combed and wattled gu.
Sable, an eagle close or - ROPER, Derby. / Sable, a chevron ermine between three eagles close argent - GAMES, Leicester, granted 1614. / Sable a chevron between three eagles close argent - JERVOISE.
Arms : Azure, a chevron ermine between three cross - crosslets fitchy argent. Crest : An eagle close argent, ducally gorged.
gloss: Difficult to obtain.
pos: adj
tags: dated
examples: Money is close.
Some of these parties have not paid their last payment, because money was close last fall.
We are told out West that the reason money is so close now is because so large an amount has been invested in real estate. I cannot understand why that would make any difference if that money has been sent from one section of the country into another for the purpose of buying real estate. Why should it make any difference as to money being close? We are told in the East large amounts have been invested in the large manufacturing plants, such as the steel plants, etc. but if the money has been invested there it has simply changed hands, and why should that make any difference?
But there is reason underlying this confusion: time as well as money is close these days and a small wardrobe of hats can be very boring.
gloss: Parsimonious; stingy.
pos: adj
tags: dated
examples: Yet were these Florentines as self-retired / In hungry pride and gainful cowardice, / As two close Hebrews in that land inspired, / Paled in and vineyarded from beggar-spies; [...]
[...] he was a crusty old fellow, as close as a vice.
Though a hard-grained man, close, dry, and silent, he can enjoy old wine with the best. He has a priceless bin of port in some artful cellar under the Fields, which is one of his many secrets.
gloss: Out of the way of observation; secluded; secret; hidden.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
examples: He yet kept himself close because of Saul.
her close intent
gloss: Concise; to the point.
pos: adj
tags: archaic
examples: close reasoning
Where the original is close no version can reach it in the same compass.
gloss: Marked, evident.
pos: adj
gloss: In a close manner (limited contexts; more often closely).
pos: adv
examples: The car behind was following too close and could not brake in time.
Please stay close together.
gloss: In a close manner (limited contexts; more often closely).
pos: adv
examples: Look close at the pictures.
gloss: In a close manner (limited contexts; more often closely).
pos: adv
examples: close-packed, close-knit, close-fitting
Synonyms: end
finale
near
nearby
intimate
oppressive
Antonyms: beginning
start
distant
far
faraway
far off
remote
aloof
cool
open
Related words: clause
Derived words: autoclose
closable
closeable
close in upon
close round
close the books
close the door
close with
disclose
enclose
exclosure
foreclose
interclose
misclose
overclose
reclose
unclose
upclose
close down
close in
close in on
close off
close out
closeout
close up
close-up
bring to a close
close of business
close of play
close season
close time
come to a close
draw to a close
garden close
letters close
sell past the close
close as wax
close at hand
close-bodied
close borough
close, but no cigar
close call
close captioning
close combat
close-coupled
close-cropped
close encounter
close-ended question
close enough
close enough for horseshoes and hand grenades
close fertilization
close-fights
close-fisted
close-fitting
close-grained
closehanded
close-hauled
close helm
close helmet
closeish
close-knit
closely
close-mid
close-minded
closeness
close one
close only counts in horseshoes
close only counts in horseshoes and darts
close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades
close on the heels of
close order
close-packed
close-packing
close protection
close-quarter
close quarter
close quarters
close-range
close range
close reach
close reading
close-reef
close-reefed
closereefed
close-run
close-serried
close-set
close shave
closestool
close thing
close-tiled
close to
close-toed
close together
close to home
close-tongued
close to one's heart
close to one's vest
close to someone's heart
close to the bone
close to the metal
close to the vest
close to the wind
close-winded
close with a buck
couple-close
cut it close
fly too close to the sun
hit too close to home
in close neighbourhood
keep a close watch
keep one's cards close to one's chest
nonclose
play it close to the hip
sail close to the wind
soft-close
subclose
this close
too close for comfort
too close to call
too close to the sun
ultraclose
up close
Translations:
lang: Afrikaans
word: toemaak
lang: Amis
word: 'edef
lang: Arabic
word: أَغْلَقَ
roman: ʔaḡlaqa
lang: Arabic
word: قفل
roman: qafal
lang: Armenian
word: փակել
roman: pʻakel
lang: Azerbaijani
word: bağlamaq
lang: Azerbaijani
word: örtmək
lang: Basque
word: itxi
lang: Belarusian
word: зачыня́ць
roman: začynjácʹ
lang: Belarusian
word: зачыні́ць
roman: začynícʹ
lang: Bengali
word: বন্ধ করা
roman: bondho kora
lang: Breton
word: serriñ
lang: Bulgarian
word: затва́рям
roman: zatvárjam
lang: Central Atlas Tamazight
word: ⵇⵇⵏ
roman: qqn
lang: Cherokee
word: ᎠᏍᏚᎲᏍᎦ
roman: asduhvsga
lang: Chinese Cantonese
word: 關 /关
roman: gwaan¹
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 關 /关
roman: guān
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 關上 /关上
roman: guānshang
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 閉 /闭
roman: bì
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 關閉 /关闭
roman: guānbì
lang: Maore Comorian
word: uɓala
lang: Czech
word: zavírat
lang: Czech
word: zavřít
lang: Danish
word: lukke
lang: Dutch
word: dichtdoen
lang: Esperanto
word: fermi
lang: Estonian
word: sulgema
lang: Ewe
word: tu
lang: Finnish
word: sulkea
lang: Finnish
word: laittaa kiinni
lang: Finnish
word: panna kiinni
lang: French
word: fermer
lang: Galician
word: pechar
lang: Georgian
word: დახურვა
roman: daxurva
lang: German
word: schließen
lang: German
word: zumachen
lang: Hebrew
word: סָגַר
roman: sagár
lang: Hindi
word: बंद करना
roman: band karnā
lang: Hungarian
word: becsuk
lang: Icelandic
word: loka
lang: Ido
word: klozar
lang: Indonesian
word: tutup
lang: Interlingua
word: clauder
lang: Irish
word: dún
lang: Italian
word: chiudere
lang: Japanese
word: 閉める
roman: shimeru
lang: Kabyle
word: mdel
lang: Korean
word: 닫다
roman: datda
lang: Central Kurdish
word: داخستن
roman: daxistin
lang: Latin
word: claudō
lang: Latvian
word: aizvērt
lang: Latvian
word: aiztaisīt
lang: Latvian
word: aizdarīt
lang: Lithuanian
word: uždaryti
lang: Low German
word: sluten
lang: Low German
word: slüten
lang: Low German
word: tomaken
lang: Low German
word: tomoken
lang: Low German
word: dichtmaken
lang: Low German
word: dichtmoken
lang: Luxembourgish
word: zoumaachen
lang: Luxembourgish
word: schléissen
lang: Malay
word: menutup
lang: Maltese
word: agħlaq
lang: Manchu
word: ᠶᠠᡴᠰᡳᠮᠪᡳ
roman: yaksimbi
lang: Māori
word: pā
lang: Mongolian
word: ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠬᠤ
roman: qaɣaqu
lang: Mongolian
word: хаах
roman: xaax
lang: Nepali
word: बन्द गर्नु
roman: banda garnu
lang: Norman
word: freunmer
lang: Norwegian
word: lukke
lang: Norwegian
word: stenge
lang: Occitan
word: barrar
lang: Occitan
word: tancar
lang: Occitan
word: tampar
lang: Persian
word: بستن
roman: bastan
lang: Polish
word: zamykać
lang: Polish
word: zamknąć
lang: Portuguese
word: fechar
lang: Portuguese
word: cerrar
lang: Quechua
word: wichq'ay
lang: Romanian
word: închide
lang: Romansh
word: serrar
lang: Russian
word: закрыва́ть
roman: zakryvátʹ
lang: Russian
word: закры́ть
roman: zakrýtʹ
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: dùin
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: затворити
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: zatvoriti
lang: Slovak
word: zatvárať
lang: Slovak
word: zatvoriť
lang: Slovak
word: zavrieť
lang: Slovene
word: zapréti
lang: Spanish
word: cerrar
lang: Spanish
word: correr
lang: Swahili
word: funga
lang: Swedish
word: stänga
lang: Tagalog
word: sara
lang: Tamil
word: மூடு
roman: mūṭu
lang: Tamil
word: சாத்து
roman: cāttu
lang: Tamil
word: பூட்டு
roman: pūṭṭu
lang: Telugu
word: మూయు
roman: mūyu
lang: Thai
word: งับ
roman: ngáp
lang: Thai
word: หุบ
roman: hùp
lang: Thai
word: ปิด
roman: bpìt
lang: Turkish
word: kapatmak
lang: Turkish
word: örtmek
lang: Turkish
word: kitlemek
lang: Ottoman Turkish
word: اورتمك
roman: örtmek
lang: Tuvan
word: хаар
roman: xaar
lang: Tuvan
word: хаап каар
roman: xaap kaar
lang: Ukrainian
word: зачиня́ти
roman: začynjáty
lang: Ukrainian
word: зачини́ти
roman: začynýty
lang: Urdu
word: بند کرنا
roman: band karnā
lang: Vietnamese
word: đóng
lang: Waray-Waray
word: sadhi
lang: Waray-Waray
word: sarhi
lang: Welsh
word: cau
lang: Wolaytta
word: gordda
lang: Yiddish
word: שליסן
roman: shlisn
lang: Azerbaijani
word: azaltmaq
lang: Azerbaijani
word: qısaltmaq
lang: Dutch
word: verkleinen
lang: Finnish
word: pienentää
lang: Finnish
word: kaventaa
lang: Finnish
word: kiristää
lang: Finnish
word: tiivistää
lang: German
word: verkleinern
lang: Italian
word: accorciare
lang: Italian
word: ridurre
lang: Japanese
word: 縮める
roman: chijimeru
lang: Japanese
word: 狭める
roman: sebameru
lang: Korean
word: 줄이다
roman: jurida
lang: Korean
word: 좁히다
roman: jopida
lang: Russian
word: сокраща́ть
roman: sokraščátʹ
lang: Russian
word: сократи́ть
roman: sokratítʹ
lang: Spanish
word: achicar
lang: Spanish
word: acercarse
lang: Spanish
word: acortar
lang: Swahili
word: funga
lang: Tamil
word: குறை
roman: kuṟai
lang: Catalan
word: tancar
lang: Catalan
word: concloure
lang: Finnish
word: päättää (kauppa)
lang: Finnish
word: tehdä kaupat
lang: Finnish
word: myydä
lang: French
word: conclure
lang: German
word: abschließen
lang: Italian
word: concludere
lang: Italian
word: chiudere
lang: Japanese
word: 成約する
roman: seiyaku suru
lang: Korean
word: 성사시키다
roman: seongsasikida
lang: Spanish
word: cerrar
lang: Spanish
word: concluir
lang: Swahili
word: funga
lang: Tamil
word: முடி
roman: muṭi
lang: Japanese
word: 狭い
roman: semai
lang: Korean
word: 비좁은
roman: bijobeun