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close

To close is to shut something or to end something. You could close a door, close your mouth, or even close a deal.

This versatile word usually means "the end" or "near." When a store is closed, you can't go in: the door is closed and locked. When people are close, they are right next to each other — or they're emotionally close to one another. In baseball, the closer is a pitcher who tries to end the game. If your flight had "a close call," it almost crashed. You can close a program on a computer, and you close your eyes when you go to sleep after reading this.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: close

1
 adjadvv
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
near in time or place or relationship
engage at close quarters
2
 v
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
3
 nv
the temporal end; the concluding time
come to a close
4
 adj
lacking fresh air
5
 adj
confined to specific persons
6
 adj
giving or spending with reluctance
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: close
1

adj at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

“close to noon”
“how close are we to town?”
“a close formation of ships”
Synonyms
adjacent, next, side by side
nearest in space or position; immediately adjoining without intervening space
ambient
completely enveloping
adpressed, appressed
pressed close to or lying flat against something
approximate, close together
located close together
at hand, close at hand, imminent, impendent, impending
close in time; about to occur
at hand, close at hand
close in space; within reach
close-hauled
having the sails trimmed for sailing as close to the wind as possible
close set, close-set
set close together
contiguous, immediate
very close or connected in space or time
circumferent, encompassing, surrounding
closely encircling
enveloping
surrounding and closing in on or hemming in
hand-to-hand
being at close quarters
juxtaposed
placed side by side often for comparison
nestled, snuggled
drawn or pressed close to someone or something for or as if for affection or protection
proximate
very close in space or time
scalelike
reduced to a small appressed thing that resembles a scale
walk-to, walking
close enough to be walked to
Antonyms:
distant
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
far
located at a great distance in time or space or degree
deep
very distant in time or space
extreme
most distant in any direction
far-flung
remote
long-distance
covering a long distance
nonadjacent
not adjacent; not next
out-of-town
happening in or being of another town or city
yon, yonder
distant but within sight (`yon' is dialectal)
show more antonyms...

adj not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances

“she was close to tears”
“had a close call”
Synonyms:
near, nigh
adjacent
near or close to but not necessarily touching
nearby
close at hand
warm
of a seeker; near to the object sought
hot
of a seeker; very near to the object sought
Antonyms:
far
located at a great distance in time or space or degree
cold
of a seeker; far from the object sought
distant, remote
located far away spatially
distant, remote, removed
separate or apart in time
far-off, faraway
very far away in space or time
farther
more distant in especially space or time
farthermost, farthest, furthermost, furthest, utmost, uttermost
(comparatives of `far') most remote in space or time or order
farther, further
more distant in especially degree
off the beaten track, out-of-the-way
remote from populous or much-traveled regions
outlying
relatively far from a center or middle
show more antonyms...

adj close in relevance or relationship

“a close family”
“we are all...in close sympathy with...”
“close kin”
“a close resemblance”
Synonyms
approximate, near
very close in resemblance
boon
very close and convivial
buddy-buddy, chummy, thick
(used informally) associated on close terms
close-knit, closely knit
held together as by social or cultural ties
confidential
denoting confidence or intimacy
cozy
suggesting connivance
dear, good, near
with or in a close or intimate relationship
familiar, intimate
having mutual interests or affections; of established friendship
intimate
marked by close acquaintance, association, or familiarity
Antonyms:
distant, remote
far apart in relevance or relationship or kinship
faraway
far removed mentally
loosely knit
having only distant social or legal ties
removed
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
ulterior
beyond or outside an area of immediate interest; remote
show more antonyms...

adj (of a contest or contestants) evenly matched

“a close contest”
“a close election”
Synonyms:
tight
equal
having the same quantity, value, or measure as another

adj marked by fidelity to an original

“a close translation”
Synonyms:
faithful
accurate
conforming exactly or almost exactly to fact or to a standard or performing with total accuracy

adj rigorously attentive; strict and thorough

“close supervision”
“paid close attention”
“a close study”
“kept a close watch on expenditures”
Synonyms
careful
exercising caution or showing care or attention

adj strictly confined or guarded

“kept under close custody”
Synonyms
restrained
under restraint

adj crowded

“close quarters”
Synonyms:
confining
confined
not free to move about

adj fitting closely but comfortably

“a close fit”
Synonyms:
close-fitting, snug
tight
closely constrained or constricted or constricting

adj of textiles

“a close weave”
Synonyms:
tight
fine
of textures that are smooth to the touch or substances consisting of relatively small particles

adj used of hair or haircuts

“a close military haircut”
Synonyms
short
(primarily spatial sense) having little length or lacking in length

adv near in time or place or relationship

“the bullet didn't come close”
“don't get too close to the fire”
Synonyms:
near, nigh

adv in an attentive manner

“he remained close on his guard”
Synonyms:
closely, tight

v engage at close quarters

“close with the enemy”
Type of:
engage, prosecute, pursue
carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in

v draw near

“The probe closed with the space station”
Type of:
approach, come near, come on, draw close, draw near, go up, near
move towards

v change one's body stance so that the forward shoulder and foot are closer to the intended point of impact

Type of:
move
move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion

v come together, as if in an embrace

“Her arms closed around her long lost relative”
Synonyms:
come together
Type of:
move
move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion

v bring together all the elements or parts of

“Management closed ranks”
Type of:
bring together, join
cause to become joined or linked

v unite or bring into contact or bring together the edges of

“close the circuit”
“close a wound”
“close a book”
“close up an umbrella”
Synonyms:
close up
Type of:
bring together, join
cause to become joined or linked
2

v move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut

“Close the door”
Synonyms:
shut
shut
become closed
Antonyms:
open, open up
cause to open or to become open
Types:
show 12 types...
hide 12 types...
snap
close with a snapping motion
slat
close the slats of (windows)
bang, slam
close violently
shutter
close with shutters
draw
move or pull so as to cover or uncover something
roll up
close (a car window) by causing it to move up, as with a handle
bung
close with a cork or stopper
seal, seal off
make tight; secure against leakage
reseal
seal again
waterproof
make watertight
calk, caulk
seal with caulking
pack
seal with packing

v become closed

“The windows closed with a loud bang”
Synonyms:
shut
shut
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
Antonyms:
open, open up
become open
Type of:
change state, turn
undergo a transformation or a change of position or action

v bar access to

“Due to the accident, the road had to be closed for several hours”
Type of:
bar, barricade, block, block off, block up, blockade, stop
render unsuitable for passage

v fill or stop up

“Can you close the cracks with caulking?”
Synonyms:
fill up
Types:
show 7 types...
hide 7 types...
seal
close with or as if with a seal
plug, secure, stop up
fill or close tightly with or as if with a plug
coapt, conglutinate
cause to adhere
stopper, stopple
close or secure with or as if with a stopper
tampon
plug with a tampon
chink
fill the chinks of, as with caulking
cork, cork up
close a bottle with a cork
Type of:
fill
plug with a substance

v cause a window or an application to disappear on a computer desktop

Antonyms:
open
display the contents of a file or start an application as on a computer
Type of:
end, terminate
be the end of; be the last or concluding part of

v cease to operate or cause to cease operating

“The owners decided to move and to close the factory”
“My business closes every night at 8 P.M.”
“close up the shop”
Synonyms:
close down, close up, fold, shut down
Antonyms:
open, open up
start to operate or function or cause to start operating or functioning
Types:
adjourn, retire, withdraw
break from a meeting or gathering
prorogue
adjourn by royal prerogative; without dissolving the legislative body
3

n the temporal end; the concluding time

“they were playing better at the close of the season”
Synonyms:
conclusion, finale, finis, finish, last, stopping point
Type of:
end, ending
the point in time at which something ends

n the concluding part of any performance

Synonyms:
closing curtain, finale, finis
Type of:
finish, finishing
the act of finishing

n the last section of a communication

Synonyms:
closing, conclusion, end, ending
Types:
show 5 types...
hide 5 types...
anticlimax, bathos
a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one
epilog, epilogue
a short passage added at the end of a literary work
epilog, epilogue
a short speech (often in verse) addressed directly to the audience by an actor at the end of a play
peroration
(rhetoric) the concluding section of an oration
coda, finale
the closing section of a musical composition
Type of:
section, subdivision
a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)

v come to a close

“The concert closed with a nocturne by Chopin”
Synonyms:
conclude
Type of:
cease, end, finish, stop, terminate
have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical

v finish or terminate (meetings, speeches, etc.)

“The meeting was closed with a charge by the chairman of the board”
Antonyms:
open
begin or set in action, of meetings, speeches, recitals, etc.
Type of:
end, terminate
bring to an end or halt

v complete a business deal, negotiation, or an agreement

“We closed on the house on Friday”
“They closed the deal on the building”
Type of:
end, terminate
bring to an end or halt

v be priced or listed when trading stops

“The stock market closed high this Friday”
“My new stocks closed at $59 last night”
Type of:
trade
be traded at a certain price or under certain conditions

v finish a game in baseball by protecting a lead

“The relief pitcher closed with two runs in the second inning”
Type of:
complete, finish
come or bring to a finish or an end
4

adj lacking fresh air

“the dreadfully close atmosphere”
Synonyms:
airless, stuffy, unaired
unventilated
not ventilated
5

adj confined to specific persons

“a close secret”
Synonyms
private
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy

adj inclined to secrecy or reticence about divulging information

“although they knew her whereabouts her friends kept close about it”
Synonyms:
closelipped, closemouthed, secretive, tightlipped
incommunicative, uncommunicative
not inclined to talk or give information or express opinions
6

adj giving or spending with reluctance

“very close (or near) with his money”
Synonyms:
cheeseparing, near, penny-pinching, skinny
stingy, ungenerous
unwilling to spend
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