close
UK /ˈkləʊz/ · US /ˈkloʊ̯z/ verb, noun, adjective, adverb, proper noun
Forms closes closing closed closest closedst closeth closer
- verb (ambitransitive) To move a thing, or part of a thing, nearer to another so that the gap or opening between the two is removed. “Close the door behind you when you leave.”
- verb (transitive) To obstruct or block. “They closed the road for the festival.”
- verb (intransitive) To become denser or more crowded with objects. “As we penetrated further, the forest closed around us.”
- verb (figuratively, transitive, intransitive) To make or become unreceptive. “He has closed his mind to new ideas.”
- verb (transitive, intransitive, engineering, gas and liquid flow, of valve or damper) To move to a position preventing fluid from flowing.
- verb (transitive, intransitive, electricity, of a switch, fuse or circuit breaker) To move to a position allowing electricity to flow.
- verb To grapple; to engage in close combat.
- verb (transitive, intransitive, especially sports) To angle (a club, bat or other hitting implement) downwards and/or (for a right-hander) anticlockwise of straight.
- noun An end or conclusion. “We owe them our thanks for bringing the project to a successful close.”
- noun The manner of shutting; the union of parts; junction.
- noun (sales) The point at the end of a sales pitch when the consumer is asked to buy.
- noun A grapple in wrestling.
- noun (music) The conclusion of a strain of music; cadence.
- noun (music) A double bar marking the end.
- noun (aviation, travel) The time when check-in staff will no longer accept passengers for a flight.
- adjective At little distance; near in space or time. “Is your house close?”
- adjective Almost, but not quite (getting to an answer, goal, or other state); near. “No, but you were close.”
- adjective (in particular) Almost resulting in disaster. “Phew! That was close!”
- adjective Nearly equal; almost evenly balanced; almost exactly matching. “Their ages are quite close.”
- adjective Adhering strictly to a standard or original; exact or nearly so. “a close translation; a close copy”
Synonyms
close up shut close off shut off complete end finish wind up wrap up close down exit encompass confine closer finale close by muggy high near nearby stopping point finis last conclusion closing ending closing curtain fold shut down conclude
Antonyms
open begin commence initiate start launch beginning distant far faraway far off remote
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.
Borrowed from French clos, from Latin clausum, participle of claudō.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To stop, or fill up, as an opening; to shut; as, to close the eyes; to close a door.
- verb To bring together the parts of; to consolidate; as, to close the ranks of an army; --often used with up.
- verb To come together; to unite or coalesce, as the parts of a wound, or parts separated.
- verb To end, terminate, or come to a period; as, the debate closed at six o'clock.
Etymology [From OF. & F. clos, p. p. of clore to close, fr. L. claudere; akin to G. schliessen to shut, and to E. clot, cloister, clavicle, conclude, sluice. Cf. Clause, n.]
Etymology [OF. & F. clos an inclosure, fr. clos, p. p. of clore. See Close, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “close”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details