close
See also: Close
English
Etymology 1
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 claudere (“to bar, block, close, enclose, bring an end to, confine”), from Proto-Indo-European *klāw- (“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 κλείς (kleís, “bar, bolt, key”), 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
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: klōz, IPA(key): /kləʊz/
- (General American) enPR: klōz, IPA(key): /kloʊz/
- Rhymes: -əʊz
Audio (US) (file) - Homophone: clothes (in some dialects)
Verb
close (third-person singular simple present closes, present participle closing, simple past and past participle closed)
- (physical) To remove a gap.
- To obstruct (an opening).
- To move so that an opening is closed.
- Close the door behind you when you leave.
- Jim was listening to headphones with his eyes closed.
- 1816, Lord Byron, “Canto III”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Canto the Third, London: Printed for John Murray, […], OCLC 1015450009, stanza LXXXIV:
- What deep wounds ever closed without a scar?
- 1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 2, in An Autobiography, part II, London: Collins, →ISBN:
- 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.
- To make (e.g. a gap) smaller.
- The runner in second place is closing the gap on the leader.
- to close the ranks of an army
- (transitive, intransitive, engineering, gas and liquid flow, of valve or damper) To move to a position preventing fluid from flowing.
- (transitive, intransitive, electricity, of a switch, fuse or circuit breaker) To move to a position allowing electricity to flow.
- To grapple; to engage in close combat.
- 1856-1858, William H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Phillip II
- They boldly closed in a hand-to-hand contest.
- 1856-1858, William H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Phillip II
- To finish, to terminate.
- To put an end to; to conclude; to complete; to finish; to consummate.
- close the session; to close a bargain; to close a course of instruction
- 1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis; John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Fifth Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. […], London: Printed for Jacob Tonson […], OCLC 80026745:
- One frugal supper did our studies close.
- To come to an end.
- The debate closed at six o'clock.
- (marketing) To make a sale.
- (baseball, pitching) To make the final outs, usually three, of a game.
- He has closed the last two games for his team.
- (figurative, computing) To terminate an application, window, file or database connection, etc.
- (transitive, finance) To cancel or reverse (a trading position).
- To put an end to; to conclude; to complete; to finish; to consummate.
- To come or gather around; to enclose; to encompass; to confine.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Jonah 2:5:
- The depth closed me round about.
- 1633, George Herbert, The Church
- 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.
-
- (surveying) To have a vector sum of 0; that is, to form a closed polygon.
- (intransitive) To do the tasks (putting things away, locking doors, etc.) required to prepare a store or other establishment to shut down for the night.
- Whoever closed last night forgot to turn off the closet light.
- (Philippines) To turn off; to switch off.
- Please close the lights. ― Please turn off the lights.
- Close the fan please. ― Please switch off the fan.
- Close the TV now. ― Turn off the TV now.
Usage notes
Due to the near-opposite meanings relating to fluid flow and electrical components, these usages are deprecated in safety-critical instructions, with the words to on or to off preferred, so instead of Close valve A; close switch B" use Turn valve A to OFF; turn switch B to ON.
Conjugation
Conjugation of close
| infinitive | (to) close | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| present tense | past tense | ||
| 1st-person singular | close | closed | |
| 2nd-person singular | close, closest† | closed, closedst† | |
| 3rd-person singular | closes, closeth† | closed | |
| plural | close | ||
| subjunctive | close | closed | |
| imperative | close | — | |
| participles | closing | closed | |
†Archaic or obsolete.
Synonyms
- (obstruct (an opening)): close off, close up, cover, shut, shut off
- (move (a door)): shut
- (put an end to): end, finish, terminate, wind up, close down
- (make (a gap) smaller): narrow
- (terminate a computer program): close out, exit
Antonyms
- (obstruct (an opening)): open
- (move (a door)): open
- (put an end to): begin, commence, initiate, start
- (make (a gap) smaller): extend, widen
- (terminate a computer program): open, start
Hyponyms
- autoclose
Derived terms
- autoclose
- case closed
- closable
- close down
- closefisted
- close in
- close in on
- closemouthed
- close off
- close one eye
- close one's doors
- close one's eyes
- closeout
- close out
- close ranks
- close-stool
- close the book on
- close the door on
- close the face
- close the stable door after the horse has bolted
- close-up
- close up
- disclose
- enclose
- exclosure
- foreclose
- number close
- when one door closes, another opens
Related terms
- clause
Translations
obstruct (an opening)
|
move (a door)
|
close (one's eyes)
|
put an end to
|
to make smaller
|
surveying: to have a vector sum of 0
|
to make a sale
|
Noun
close (plural closes)
- An end or conclusion.
- We owe them our thanks for bringing the project to a successful close.
- 1878, Thomas Babington Macaulay, “Francis Atterbury”, in Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition:
- His long and troubled life was drawing to a close.
- The manner of shutting; the union of parts; junction.
- 1614–1615, Homer, “(please specify the book number)”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., Homer’s Odysses. […], London: […] Rich[ard] Field [and William Jaggard], for Nathaniell Butter, published 1615, OCLC 1002865976; republished in The Odysseys of Homer, […], volume (please specify the book number), London: John Russell Smith, […], 1857, OCLC 987451380:
- The doors of plank were; their close exquisite.
-
- (sales) The point at the end of a sales pitch when the consumer is asked to buy.
- Synonym: closer
- 1983, Charles B. Roth, Roy Alexander, Secrets of Closing Sales (page 110)
- Regardless of the situation, the minute you feel it's time for the close, try it.
- A grapple in wrestling.
- c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene i]:
- The intestine shocke, And furious cloze of ciuill Butchery.
-
- (music) The conclusion of a strain of music; cadence.
- 1700, [John] Dryden, “The Flower and the Leaf: Or, The Lady in the Arbour. A Vision.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 228732415:
- At every close she made, the attending throng / Replied, and bore the burden of the song.
-
- (music) A double bar marking the end.
- (aviation, travel) The time when checkin staff will no longer accept passengers for a flight.
Synonyms
- (end): end, finale
Antonyms
- (end): beginning, start
Derived terms
- close of business
- close of play
- close season
- close time
- come to a close
- letters close
- sell past the close
Translations
end or conclusion
|
Etymology 2
Borrowed from French clos, from Latin clausum, participle of claudō.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: klōs, IPA(key): /kləʊs/
- (General American) IPA(key): /kloʊs/
Audio (UK) (file) Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -əʊs
Adjective
close (comparative closer, superlative closest)
- (now rare) Closed, shut.
- 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], OCLC 762018299, Matthew viij]:
- There is nothinge so close, that shall not be openned, and nothinge so hyd that shall not be knowen.
- 1830, Thomas Thomson (chemist) The History of Chemistry, Vol. 1, pp. 30-31:
- 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...
- 1847 October 16, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], chapter I, in Jane Eyre. An Autobiography. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Smith, Elder, and Co., […], OCLC 3163777:
- 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.
- Narrow; confined.
- a close alley; close quarters
- 1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, chapter 41, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, OCLC 28228280:
- a close prison
- At a little distance; near.
- 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, OCLC 4293071:
- […] 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.
- 2013 June 1, “End of the peer show”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 71:
- 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.
- Is your house close?
-
- Intimate; well-loved.
- He is a close friend.
- (law) Of a corporation or other business entity, closely held.
- Oppressive; without motion or ventilation; causing a feeling of lassitude.
- 1631, Francis [Bacon], “(please specify |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] William Rawley; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], OCLC 1044372886:
- 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.
- 1921, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter X, in Indiscretions of Archie:
- 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.
-
- (Ireland, UK, weather) Hot, humid, with no wind.
- (linguistics, phonetics, of a vowel) Articulated with the tongue body relatively close to the hard palate.
- Strictly confined; carefully guarded.
- a close prisoner
- (obsolete) Out of the way of observation; secluded; secret; hidden.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, 1 Chronicles 12:1:
- He yet kept himself close because of Saul.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938, stanza 57:
- her close intent
-
- Nearly equal; almost evenly balanced.
- a close contest
- Short.
- to cut grass or hair close
- (archaic) Dense; solid; compact.
- 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], OCLC 153628242:
- The golden globe being put into a press, [...] the water made itself way through the pores of that very close metal.
-
- (archaic) Concise; to the point.
- close reasoning
- 1690, John Dryden, Translations (Preface)
- Where the original is close no version can reach it in the same compass.
- (dated) Difficult to obtain.
- 1886, “Leases of Lands in the Indian Territory”, in United States Congressional Serial Set, volume 2362, page 184:
- Some of these parties have not paid their last payment, because money was close last fall.
- 1903, Gunton's Magazine of American Economics and Political Science, page 249:
- 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?
- 1965, Country Life - Volume 137, page 326:
- 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.
- Money is close.
-
- (dated) Parsimonious; stingy.
- 1820, John Keats, “Isabella; or, The Pot of Basil. A Story from Boccaccio.”, in Lamia, Isabella, the Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Taylor and Hessey, […], OCLC 927360557, stanza XVII, page 57:
- 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; [...]
- 1837, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Twice-Told Tales, Volume I: "Mr. Higginbotham's Catastrophe":
- [...] he was a crusty old fellow, as close as a vice.
- 1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, OCLC 999756093:
- 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.
-
- Adhering strictly to a standard or original; exact.
- a close translation; a close copy
- Accurate; careful; precise; also, attentive; undeviating; strict.
- The patient was kept under close observation.
- a. 1705, John Locke, “Of the Conduct of the Understanding”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, OCLC 6963663, page 90:
- 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.
- Marked, evident.
Synonyms
- (at a little distance): close by, near, nearby; see also Thesaurus:near
- (intimate): intimate
- (hot, humid): muggy, oppressive; see also Thesaurus:muggy
- (articulated with the tongue body relatively close to the hard palate): high
- (dense, solid, compact): see also Thesaurus:compact
Antonyms
- (at a little distance): distant, far, faraway, far off, remote; see also Thesaurus:distant
- (intimate): aloof, cool, distant
- (articulated with the tongue body relatively close to the hard palate): open
Hyponyms
- thisclose
- ultra-close
Derived terms
- 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 enough
- close-fights
- close-fisted
- close-fitting
- closehanded
- close-hauled
- close helm
- close helmet
- close-knit
- closely
- close-mid
- close-mid
- close-minded
- closeness
- 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 quarters
- close-range
- close range
- close reach
- close-run
- close-serried
- close-set
- close shave
- close thing
- close-tiled
- close to
- close together
- close to home
- close to one's heart
- close to one's vest
- close to the bone
- close to the vest
- close to the wind
- close-up
- 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
- play it close to the hip
- sail close to the wind
- too close for comfort
- too close to call
- up close
Translations
at a little distance
|
intimate
|
hot and humid or muggy
|
Noun
close (plural closes)
- (now rare, chiefly Yorkshire) An enclosed field.
- (chiefly British) A street that ends in a dead end.
- (Scotland) A very narrow alley between two buildings, often overhung by one of the buildings above the ground floor.
- (Scotland) The common staircase in a tenement.
- A cathedral close.
- 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter 3, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, OCLC 1069526323:
- closes surrounded by the venerable abodes of deans and canons.
-
- (law) The interest which one may have in a piece of ground, even though it is not enclosed[1]
Synonyms
- (street): cul-de-sac
- (narrow alley): See Thesaurus:alley
Descendants
- → Irish: clós
- → Welsh: clos
Translations
street
|
narrow alley between two buildings in Scotland
|
References
- 1839. John Bouvier, Law Dictionary
- close in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
Anagrams
- Coles, coles, socle
French
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Adjective
close
- feminine singular of clos
Verb
close
- first/third-person singular present subjunctive of clore
Participle
close f sg
- feminine singular of the past participle of clore
Further reading
- “close”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
- socle
Middle English
Noun
close
- plural of cloth
Portuguese
Noun
close m (plural closes)
- (photography) close-up (photography in which the subject is shown at a large scale)
- Synonym: close-up
- attitude