close

close

close¹ [klōs]

adj.

closer, closest [ME clos < OFr < L clausus, pp. of claudere (see CLOSE²); senses under II from notion “with spaces or intervals closed up”]

I denoting the fact or state of being closed or confined

1. shut; not open

2. enclosed or enclosing; shut in

3. confined or confining; narrow [close quarters]

4. carefully guarded [close custody]

5. shut away from observation; hidden; secluded

6. secretive; reserved; reticent

7. miserly; stingy

8. restricted, as in membership

9. oppressively warm and stuffy: said of the weather, atmosphere, etc.

10. not readily available [credit is close]

11. Phonet. articulated with the tongue relatively high in the mouth, near the palate: said of certain vowels, as the (ē) in eat

II denoting nearness

1. with little space between; with the intervening space closing or closed up; near together

2. having parts or elements near together; compact; dense [close marching order, close weave]

3. fitting tightly [a close coat]

a) down or near to the surface on which something grows; very short [a close shave]

b) not far away; nearby [a close neighbor]

4. near in interests, affection, etc.; intimate; familiar [a close friend]

5. varying little from the original or model [a close translation]

6. strict; thorough; careful [a close search]

7. compactly expressed; concise [a close description]

8. accurate; logical; precise [close reasoning]

9. nearly equal or alike [close in age]

10. difficult to resolve or uncertain in outcome [a close decision]

adv.

closer, closest

in a close manner

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close to the wind

1. Naut. heading as closely as possible in the direction from which the wind is blowing

2. barely avoiding what is unlawful

closely

adv.

closeness

n.

SYN.- CLOSE¹ suggests something whose parts or elements are near together with little space between [close-order drill ]; DENSE suggests such a crowding together of elements or parts as to form an almost impervious mass [a dense fog ]; COMPACT suggests close and firm packing, esp. within a small space, and usually implies neatness and order in the arrangement of parts [a compact bundle ]; THICK, in this connection, suggests a great number of parts massed tightly together [thick fur ] -ANT. OPEN, DISPERSED

close² [klōz]

vt.

closed, closing [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 > SLOT¹, LOT, Gr kleistos, closed, L clavis, key, clavus, nail, OIr clo, nail, Ger schliessen, to lock]

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]

vi.

1. to undergo shutting [the door closes quietly]

2. to come to an end

3.

a) to end or suspend operations [the store closes at noon]

b) in the stock exchange, to show an indicated price level at the day's end [steel closed high]

4. to have its edges become joined together [the wound has closed]

5. to come together

6. to take hold [her hand closed on the package]

7. to throng closely together [his friends closed about him]

8. to lessen an intervening distance; gain [closing on the leading runner]

9. to make contact or come close, as in order to begin fighting

10. to arrive at an agreement

n.

1. a closing or being closed

2. the final part or conclusion; end

3. Archaic a hand-to-hand encounter

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close down

☆ 1. to shut or stop entirely

☆ 2. to settle down (on), as darkness or a fog

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close in

to draw near from various directions, cutting off escape on all sides; surround

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☆ close out

to dispose of (goods) by sale, as in ending a business

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close round

to encircle; surround

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close up

1. to draw nearer together

2. to shut or stop up entirely

3. to heal, as a wound does

SYN.- to CLOSE² is to come or bring to a stop, as if by shutting something regarded as previously open [nominations are now closed]; to END² means to stop some process, whether or not it has been satisfactorily completed [let's end this argument ]; to CONCLUDE is to bring or come to a formal termination, often by arriving at some decision [to conclude negotiations ]; to FINISH is to bring to a desired end that which one has set out to do, esp. by adding perfecting touches [to finish a painting ]; to COMPLETE, in its distinctive sense, is to finish by filling in the missing or defective parts [the award will complete his happiness ]; to TERMINATE is to bring or come to an end regarded as a limit or boundary [to terminate a privilege ] -ANT. BEGIN, START, COMMENCE

close³ [klōs]

n.

[ME clos < OFr < L clausum, orig., neut. pp. of claudere: see CLOSE²] Chiefly Brit.

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