close

Close means to seal up, shut off or make something not be open anymore.

(verb)

An example of close is to shut the lid on a laptop.

The definition of close is near or almost.

(adjective)

  1. An example of close is a house that is only one street away from the community pool.
  2. An example of close is losing the game by only one point.

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See close in Webster's New World College Dictionary

adjective closer, closest

  1. shut; not open enclosed or enclosing; shut in confined or confining; narrow: close quarters carefully guarded: close custody shut away from observation; hidden; secluded secretive; reserved; reticent miserly; stingy restricted, as in membership oppressively warm and stuffy: said of the weather, atmosphere, etc. not readily available: credit is closePhonet. articulated with the tongue relatively high in the mouth, near the palate: said of certain vowels, as the (ē) in eat
  2. with little space between; with the intervening space closing or closed up; near together having parts or elements near together; compact; dense: close marching order, close weave fitting tightly: a close coat
    1. down or near to the surface on which something grows; very short: a close shave
    2. not far away; nearby: a close neighbor
    near in interests, affection, etc.; intimate; familiar: a close friend varying little from the original or model: a close translation strict; thorough; careful: a close search compactly expressed; concise: a close description accurate; logical; precise: close reasoning nearly equal or alike: close in age difficult to resolve or uncertain in outcome: a close decision

Origin: ME clos < OFr < L clausus, pp. of claudere (see close); senses under II from notion “with spaces or intervals closed up”

adverb closer, closest

in a close manner

Related Forms:

transitive verb closed, closing

  1. to move (a door, lid, etc.) to a position that covers the opening; shut
  2. to bar entrance to or exit from: to close a street
  3. to fill up or stop (an opening)
  4. to draw the edges of together: to close an incision
  5. to clench (a fist)
  6. to bind together; unite: to close forces
  7. to bring to an end; finish
  8. to stop or suspend the operation of (a school, business, etc.)
  9. to complete or make final (a sale, agreement, etc.)
  10. to make stubbornly resistant: to close one's mind

Origin: ME closen < OFr clos-, stem of clore < L claudere, to close, block up < IE base *klēu, klāu-, hook, crooked or forked branch, close with a hook or bar > slot, lot, Gr kleistos, closed, L clavis, key, clavus, nail, OIr clo, nail, Ger schliessen, to lock

intransitive verb

  1. to undergo shutting: the door closes quietly
  2. to come to an end
    1. to end or suspend operations: the store closes at noon
    2. in the stock exchange, to show an indicated price level at the day's end: steel closed high
  3. to have its edges become joined together: the wound has closed
  4. to come together
  5. to take hold: her hand closed on the package
  6. to throng closely together: his friends closed about him
  7. to lessen an intervening distance; gain: closing on the leading runner
  8. to make contact or come close, as in order to begin fighting
  9. to arrive at an agreement

noun

  1. a closing or being closed
  2. the final part or conclusion; end
  3. Archaic a hand-to-hand encounter

noun

  1. an enclosed place, as a farmyard
  2. enclosed grounds around or beside a building: a cathedral close
  3. a narrow street or passageway; also, a dead-end street

Origin: ME clos < OFr < L clausum, orig., neut. pp. of claudere: see close

See close in American Heritage Dictionary 4

adjective clos·er, clos·est
  1. Being near in space or time. See Usage Note at redundancy.
  2. Being near in relationship: close relatives.
  3. Bound by mutual interests, loyalties, or affections; intimate: close friends.
  4. Having little or no space between elements or parts; tight and compact: a close weave.
  5. Being near the surface; short: a close haircut.
  6. Being on the brink of: close to tears.
  7. Decided by a narrow margin; almost even: a close election.
  8. Faithful to the original: a close copy.
  9. Rigorous; thorough: close attention; close supervision.
  10. Shut; closed.
  11. Shut in; enclosed.
  12. Confining or narrow; crowded: close quarters.
  13. Fitting tightly: close garments.
  14. Lacking fresh air; stuffy: a close room.
  15. Confined to specific persons or groups: a close secret.
  16. Strictly confined or guarded: kept under close custody.
  17. Hidden from view; secluded.
  18. Secretive; reticent: was close about her personal life.
  19. Giving or spending with reluctance; stingy.
  20. Not easily acquired; scarce: Money was close.
  21. 21. Linguistics Pronounced with the tongue near the palate, as the ee in meet. Used of vowels.
  22. 22. Marked by more rather than less punctuation, especially commas.
verb (klōz) closed closed, clos·ing, clos·es
verb, transitive
  1. To move (a door, for example) so that an opening or passage is covered or obstructed; shut.
  2. To bar access to: closed the road for repairs.
  3. To fill or stop up: closed the cracks with plaster.
  4. To stop the operations of permanently or temporarily: closed down the factory.
  5. To make unavailable for use: closed the area to development; closed the database to further changes.
  6. To bring to an end; terminate: close a letter; close a bank account.
  7. To bring together all the elements or parts of: Management closed ranks and ostracized the troublemaker.
  8. To join or unite; bring into contact: close a circuit.
  9. To draw or bind together the edges of: close a wound.
  10. Sports To modify (one's stance), as in baseball or golf, by turning the body so that the forward shoulder and foot are closer to the intended point of impact with the ball.
  11. To complete the final details or negotiations on: close a deal.
  12. Archaic To enclose on all sides.
verb, intransitive
  1. To become shut: The door closed quietly.
  2. To come to an end; finish: The book closes on a hopeful note.
  3. To reach an agreement; come to terms.
  4. To cease operation: The shop closes at six.
  5. To be priced or listed at a specified amount when trading ends: Stocks closed higher on Monday.
  6. a. To engage at close quarters: closed with the enemy.
    b. To draw near: The orbiter closed with the space station in preparation for docking.
  7. To come together: My arms closed around the little child.
  8. Baseball To finish a game by protecting a lead. Used of relief pitchers.
noun (klōz)
  1. The act of closing.
  2. A conclusion; a finish: The meeting came to a close.
  3. Music The concluding part of a phrase or theme; a cadence.
  4. An enclosed place, especially land surrounding or beside a cathedral or other building.
  5. Chiefly British A narrow way or alley.
  6. Archaic A fight at close quarters.
adverb closer closer, closest closest
In a close position or manner; closely: stayed close together.
Phrasal Verbs: close in To seem to be gathering in on all sides: The problems closed in. To advance on a target so as to block escape: The police closed in on the sniper. To surround so as to make unusable: The airport was closed in by fog. close out To dispose of (a line of merchandise) at reduced prices. To terminate, as by selling: close out a business.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English clos, closed

Origin: , from Old French

Origin: , from Latin clausus

Origin: , past participle of claudere, to close

Origin: . V., from Middle English closen

Origin: , from Old French clore, clos-

Origin: , from Latin claudere

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Related Forms:

  • closeˈly adverb
  • closeˈness noun
  • closˈing (klōˈzĭng) noun

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