close
▪ I. close 1 [close closes closed closing] verb, noun BrE [kləʊz] NAmE [kloʊz]
see also ↑close 2
verb
WINDOW/DOOR, ETC.
1. transitive, intransitive ~ (sth) to put sth into a position so that it covers an opening; to get into this position
Syn: ↑shut
• Would anyone mind if I closed the window?
• She closed the gate behind her.
•It's dark now— let's close the curtains.
•I closed my eyes against the bright light.
•The doors open and close automatically.
Opp: ↑open
BOOK/UMBRELLA, ETC.
2. transitive ~ sth (up) to move the parts of sth together so that it is no longer open
Syn: ↑shut
•to close a book/an umbrella
Opp: ↑open
SHOP/STORE/BUSINESS, ETC.
3. transitive, often passive, intransitive to make the work of a shop/store, etc. stop for a period of time; to not be open for people to use
•~ sth (for sth) The museum has been closed for renovation.
•~ sth (to sb/sth) The road was closed to traffic for two days.
•~ (for sth) What time does the bank close?
•We close for lunch between twelve and two.
Opp: ↑open
4. transitive, intransitive ~ (sth) (also ˌclose ˈdown, ˌclose sthˈdown)if a company, shop/store, etc. closes, or if you close it, it stops operating as a business
• The club was closed by the police.
• The hospital closed at the end of last year.
•The play closed after just three nights.
Opp: ↑open
END
5. transitive, intransitive to end or make sth end
• The meeting will close at 10.00 p.m.
• The offer closes at the end of the week.
•~ sth to close a meeting/debate
•to close a case/an investigation
•to close an account (= to stop keeping money in a bank account)
•The subject is now closed (= we will not discuss it again).
Opp: ↑open
FINANCE
6. intransitive ~ (at sth) to be worth a particular amount at the end of the day's business
•Shares in the company closed at 265p.
•closing prices
DISTANCE/DIFFERENCE
7. transitive, intransitive ~ (sth) to make the distance or difference between two people or things smaller; to become smaller or narrower
•These measures are aimed at closing the gap between rich and poor.
•The gap between the two top teams is closing all the time.
HOLD FIRMLY
8. transitive, intransitive ~ (sth) about/around/over sb/sth to hold sth/sb firmly
•She closed her hand over his.
•Her hand closed over his.
more at close/shut the door on sth at ↑door, shut/close your ears to sth at ↑ear, shut/close your eyes to sthwith your eyes shut/closed at ↑eye n.
Verb forms: 
Word Origin:
Middle English Old French clos- clore Latin claudere ‘to shut’
Thesaurus:
close verb
1. T, I
•She closed the gate behind her.
shut • • draw • • slam • • lock • • bolt •
Opp: open
close/shut/slam/lock/bolt a door/gate
close/shut/lock a window/drawer/case/suitcase
close/shut a/an/your box/lid/eyes/mouth/flap/valve/book/umbrella
close/draw the curtains/blinds
Close or shut? Close often suggests a more slow or gentle action than shut
•Close your eyes and go to sleep.
2. I, T
•It was a pity the business closed.
close (sth) down • • fail • • collapse • • go bankrupt • • fold • • crash • |informal go bust • • flop • |formal, business cease trading •
Opp: open
a firm/company closes/closes down/fails/collapses/goes bankrupt/folds/crashes/goes bust/ceases trading
an industry closes down/collapses
an factory/newspaper/operation/shop closes/closes down
a play/show closes/folds/flops
Close or close down? Both these two words can be used to talk about a business or service, but only close can be used to talk about a play or show:
•The play closed after just two nights.
✗ The play closed down after just two nights
3. T, I
•The offer closes at the end of the week.
end • • finish • • wind (sth) up • |formal conclude •
Opp: open
close/end/finish/wind up/conclude a meeting
Which Word?:
close / shut
You can close and shut doors, windows, your eyes, mouth, etc.
Shut can suggest more noise and is often found in phrases such as slammed shut, banged shut, snapped shut.
Shut is also usually used for containers such as boxes, suitcases, etc.
To talk about the time when shops, offices, etc. are not open, use close or shut: ▪ What time do the banks close/shut? ◇ ▪ A strike has shut the factory. You can also use closed or shut (NAmE usually closed): ▪ The store is closed/shut today. Especially in NAmE, shut can sound less polite.
Closed is used in front of a noun, but shut is not: ▪ a closed window.
We usually use closed about roads, airports, etc: ▪ The road is closed because of the snow.
Close is also used in formal English to talk about ending a meeting or conversation.
Example Bank:
•He closed the door firmly.
•She gently closed the door behind her.
•That factory's been closed down now.
•The museum has been temporarily closed to the public.
•Tomorrow college officially closes for the vacation.
•A police spokesman said that the case was now closed.
•Can you help me close this umbrella?
•It was a pity the business closed.
•It's dark now— let's close the curtains.
•Mr Hunt then closed the debate for the government.
•She closed her eyes and fell asleep immediately.
•The meeting will close at 10 p.m.
•The subject is now closed.
•They are closing their Liverpool factory.
Idioms: ↑close its doors ▪ ↑close ranks ▪ ↑close the book on something ▪ ↑close your mind to something
Derived: ↑close down ▪ ↑close in ▪ ↑close out something ▪ ↑close over somebody ▪ ↑close something down ▪ ↑close something off ▪ ↑close something up ▪ ↑close up
noun singular (formal)
the end of a period of time or an activity
•at the close of the 17th century
• His life was drawing to a close.
• Can we bring this meeting to a close?
•By the close of London trading, Wall Street was up 9.78 points.
•The West Indies were 98 for 3 at the close of play (= at the end of the day's play in a ↑cricket match).
Word Origin:
Middle English Old French clos- clore Latin claudere ‘to shut’
Example Bank:
•At the close of trading, he had lost thousands of pounds on the stock market.
•The chairperson brought the meeting to a close.
•The decade drew to a close with the threat of war hanging over Europe.
•At the close of play, the scores were almost level.
•At the close of the first day, things were looking good for the home team.
•Can we bring this meeting to a close?
See also: ↑close down ▪ ↑close something down
▪ II. close 2 [close closes closed closing] adjective, adverb, noun BrE [kləʊs] NAmE [kloʊs]
see also ↑close 1
adjective (closer, clos·est)
NEAR
1. not usually before noun ~ (to sb/sth) | ~ (together) near in space or time
• Our new house is close to the school.
• I had no idea the beach was so close.
•The two buildings are close together.
•This is the closest we can get to the beach by car.
•We all have to work in close proximity (= near each other).
•The President was shot at close range (= from a short distance away).
•The children are close to each other in age.
•Their birthdays are very close together.
ALMOST/LIKELY
2. not before noun ~ to sth | ~ to doing sth almost in a particular state; likely to do sth soon
• He was close to tears.
• The new library is close to completion.
•She knew she was close to death.
•We are close to signing the agreement.
RELATIONSHIP
3. ~ (to sb) knowing sb very well and liking them very much
• Jo is a very close friend.
• She is very close to her father.
•She and her father are very close.
•We're a very close family.
4. near in family relationship
•close relatives, such as your mother and father, and brothers and sisters
Opp: ↑distant
• The groom and his close family took their places.
5. very involved in the work or activities of sb else, usually seeing and talking to them regularly
• He is one of the prime minister's closest advisers.
• The college has close links with many other institutions.
•She has kept in close contact with the victims' families.
•We keep in close touch with the police.
CAREFUL
6. only before noun careful and thorough
• Take a close look at this photograph.
•On closer examination the painting proved to be a fake.
•Pay close attention to what I am telling you.
SIMILAR
7. ~ (to sth) very similar to sth else or to an amount
• There's a close resemblance (= they look very similar).
• His feeling for her was close to hatred.
•The total was close to 20% of the workforce.
•We tried to match the colours, but this is the closest we could get.
COMPETITION/ELECTION, ETC.
8. won by only a small amount or distance
•a close contest/match/election
• It was a very close finish.
• I think it's going to be close.
•Our team came a close second (= nearly won).
•The game was closer than the score suggests.
•The result is going to be too close to call (= either side may win).
ALMOST BAD RESULT
9. used to describe sth, usually a dangerous or unpleasant situation, that nearly happens
•Phew! That was close— that car nearly hit us.
•We caught the bus in the end but it was close (= we nearly missed it).
WITHOUT SPACE
10. with little or no space in between
•over 1 000 pages of close print
•The soldiers advanced in close formation.
CUT SHORT
11. cut very short, near to the skin
•a close haircut/shave
GUARDED
12. only before noun carefully guarded
•The donor's identity is a close secret.
•She was kept under close arrest.
WEATHER/ROOM
13. warm in an uncomfortable way because there does not seem to be enough fresh air
Syn: ↑stuffy
•It's very close today— I think there's going to be a storm.
PRIVATE
14. not before noun ~ (about sth) not willing to give personal information about yourself
•He was close about his past.
MEAN
15. not before noun (BrE)not liking to spend money
•She's always been very close with her money.
PHONETICS
16. (also high) (of a vowel)produced with the mouth in a relatively closed position
compare ↑open
more at (close/near) at hand at ↑hand n., close/dear/near to sb's heart at ↑heart
Word Origin:
Middle English Old French clos Latin clausum ‘enclosure’ clausus ‘closed’ claudere
Thesaurus:
close adj.
1.
•Take a close look at this photograph.
careful • • detailed • • minute • • thorough • • in-depth •
a close/careful/detailed/minute/thorough examination
a close/careful/detailed/thorough/in-depth look/study/investigation/analysis
2.
•His feeling for her was close to hatred.
like • • similar •
close/similar to sth
close/like sth/similar in size, amount, etc.
3.
•The organizers of the race are predicting a close finish.
even • • hard-fought • • narrow • • neck and neck • |especially BrE level •
a/an close/even/hard-fought contest
a close/hard-fought battle/finish
a close/narrow vote
Which Word?:
near / close
The adjectives near and close are often the same in meaning, but in some phrases only one of them may be used: ▪ the near future ◇ ▪ a near neighbour ◇ ▪ a near miss ◇ ▪ a close contest ◇ ▪ a close encounter ◇ ▪ a close call. Close is more often used to describe a relationship between people: ▪ a close friend ◇ ▪ close family ◇ ▪ close links. You do not usually use near in this way.
Example Bank:
•Get close to the microphone.
•He was quite close to his older brother.
•Keep close to me.
•The two sisters seemed very close.
•Their birthdays are very close together.
•The car came perilously close to running her down.
•Victory was tantalizingly close.
•He had a close shave when his brakes failed on the mountain road.
•It's a desperately close race— I can't quite see who is ahead.
•Jo is a very close friend.
•Phew! That was close— the motorbike nearly hit us.
•The California election looks too close to call as voters go to the polls.
•The invasion never happened but it was a close run thing.
•The organizers of the race are predicting a close finish.
•We're a very close family.
•The unemployment total was close to 20% of the workforce.
•There's a close resemblance between them.
Idioms: ↑at close quarters ▪ ↑close at hand ▪ ↑close by ▪ ↑close call ▪ ↑close on ▪ ↑close run thing ▪ ↑close thing ▪ ↑close to ▪ ↑close to home ▪ ↑close up ▪ ↑close up to somebody ▪ ↑close, but no cigar ▪ ↑come close ▪ ↑keep a close eye on somebody ▪ ↑run somebody close
Derived Words: ↑closely ▪ ↑closeness
adverb (closer, clos·est)
near; not far away
•They sat close together.
•Don't come too close!
•She held Tom close and pressed her cheek to his.
•I couldn't get close enough to see.
•A second police car followed close behind.
more at hold/keep/play your cards close to your chest at ↑card n., be close to/near the mark at ↑mark n., sail close to the wind at ↑sail v.
Example Bank:
•The invasion never happened but it was a close run thing.
noun
1. (BrE) (especially in street names)a street that is closed at one end
•Brookside Close
2. the grounds and buildings that surround and belong to a ↑cathedral
See also: ↑high
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