[verb klohz; adjective, adverb klohs or for 51, klohz; noun klohz for 59, 60, 63–65, 67, 68, klohs for 61, 62, 66]
See more synonyms for close on
verb (used with object), closed, clos·ing.
  13. Nautical. to come close to: We closed the cruiser to put our injured captain on board.
  14. Metalworking. to reduce the internal diameter of (a tube or the like).
verb (used without object), closed, clos·ing.
  3. to come close: His pursuers closed rapidly.
adjective, clos·er, clos·est.
  6. intimate or confidential; dear.
  8. fitting tightly: a close, clinging negligee.
  10. not deviating from the subject under consideration.
  13. nearly even or equal: a close contest.
  14. strictly logical: close reasoning.
  16. shut in; enclosed.
  18. without opening; with all openings covered or closed.
  19. confined; narrow: close quarters.
  22. narrowly confined, as a prisoner.
  25. scarce, as money.
  27. (of a delimiting punctuation mark) occurring at the end of a group of words or characters that is set off, as from surrounding text: close parentheses; close quotes; close brackets.Compare open(def 32).
  28. Hunting, Angling. closed(def 8).
  29. Phonetics. (of a vowel) articulated with a relatively small opening between the tongue and the roof of the mouth.Compare high(def 23), open(def 35a).
  31. Archaic. viscous; not volatile.
  1. in a close manner; closely.
  2. near; close by.
  3. Heraldry. immediately behind the ears, so as to show no neck: a bear's head couped close.
  1. the act of closing.
  3. an enclosed place or enclosure, especially one about or beside a cathedral or other building.
  4. any piece of land held as private property.
  5. complimentary close.
  6. Music. cadence(def 7).
  7. Stock Exchange.
    1. the closing price on a stock.
    2. the closing prices on an exchange market.
  8. Scot.
    1. a narrow entry or alley terminating in a dead end.
    2. a courtyard enclosed except for one narrow entrance.
  9. Archaic. a junction; union.
  10. Obsolete. a close encounter; a grapple: The fighters met in a fierce close.
Verb Phrases
  1. close down,
    2. to attempt to control or eliminate: The city must close down drug traffic.
  2. close in on/upon,
  3. close out,
  4. close up,
    3. to become silent or uncommunicative.
    4. to reduce or eliminate spacing material between (units of set type).
  3. close up,
    1. from close range; in a detailed manner; intimately.
    2. Nautical.fully raised; at the top of the halyard: an answering pennant flown close up.Compare dip1(def 37).

Origin of close

Related formsclos·a·ble, close·a·ble [kloh-zuh-buhl] /ˈkloʊ zə bəl/, adjectiveclose·ly [klohs-lee] /ˈkloʊs li/, adverbclose·ness [klohs-nis] /ˈkloʊs nɪs/, nounnon·close, adjectivenon·close·ly, adverbo·ver·close, adjectiveo·ver·close·ly, adverbo·ver·close·ness, nounpre·close, verb (used with object), pre·closed, pre·clos·ing.un·clos·a·ble, adjective
Can be confusedclose clothes cloze

Synonyms for close

See more synonyms for on

Synonym study

2. Close, shut mean to cause something not to be open. Close suggests blocking an opening or vacant place: to close a breach in a wall. The word shut refers especially to blocking or barring openings intended for entering and leaving: to shut a door, gate, etc., and close can be used in this sense, too: to close a door, gate, etc. 48. See stingy1. 59. See end1. Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for close with

close with

  1. (intr, preposition) to engage in battle with (an enemy)


  1. near in space or time; in proximity
  2. having the parts near together; densea close formation
  3. down or near to the surface; shorta close haircut
  4. near in relationshipa close relative
  5. intimate or confidentiala close friend
  6. almost equal or evena close contest
  7. not deviating or varying greatly from a model or standarda close resemblance; a close translation
  8. careful, strict, or searchinga close study
  10. confined or enclosed
  11. shut or shut tight
  12. oppressive, heavy, or airlessa close atmosphere
  13. strictly guardeda close prisoner
  14. neat or tight in fita close cap
  15. secretive or reticent
  16. miserly; not generous, esp with money
  18. restricted as to public admission or membership
  19. hidden or secluded
  21. Also: closed, narrow phonetics denoting a vowel pronounced with the lips relatively close together
  1. closely; tightly
  2. near or in proximity
  3. close to the wind nautical sailing as nearly as possible towards the direction from which the wind is blowingSee also wind 1 (def. 26)
Derived Formsclosely, adverbcloseness, noun

Word Origin for close



  1. to put or be put in such a position as to cover an opening; shutthe door closed behind him
  2. (tr) to bar, obstruct, or fill up (an entrance, a hole, etc)to close a road
  4. (intr; foll by on, over, etc) to take holdhis hand closed over the money
  5. to bring or be brought to an end; terminate
  7. to cease or cause to cease to render servicethe shop closed at six
  8. (intr) stock exchange to have a value at the end of a day's trading, as specifiedsteels closed two points down
  9. to complete an electrical circuit
  10. (tr) nautical to pass near
  11. (tr) archaic to enclose or shut in
  12. close one's eyes
    1. euphemisticto die
    2. (often foll by to)to ignore
  1. the act of closing
  2. the end or conclusionthe close of the day
  3. a place of joining or meeting
  4. (kləʊs) law private property, usually enclosed by a fence, hedge, or wall
  5. (kləʊs) British a courtyard or quadrangle enclosed by buildings or an entry leading to such a courtyard
  6. (kləʊs) British (capital when part of a street name) a small quiet residential roadHillside Close
  7. British a field
  8. (kləʊs) the precincts of a cathedral or similar building
  9. (kləʊs) Scot the entry from the street to a tenement building
  10. music another word for cadence
  11. archaic, or rare an encounter in battle; grapple
Derived Formscloser, noun

Word Origin and History for close with



c.1200, "to shut, cover in," from Old French clos- (past participle stem of clore "to shut, to cut off from"), 12c., from Latin clausus, past participle of claudere "to shut, close; to block up, make inaccessible; put an end to; shut in, enclose, confine" (always -clusus, -cludere in compounds).

The Latin word might be from the possible PIE root *klau- "hook, peg, crooked or forked branch" (used as a bar or bolt in primitive structures); cf. Latin clavis "key," clavus "nail," claustrum "bar, bolt, barrier," claustra "dam, wall, barricade, stronghold;" Greek kleidos (genitive) "bar, bolt, key," klobos "cage;" Old Irish clo "nail," Middle Irish clithar "hedge, fence;" Old Church Slavonic ključi "hook, key," ključiti "shut;" Lithuanian kliuti "to catch, be caught on," kliaudziu "check, hinder," kliuvu "clasp, hang;" Old High German sliozan "shut," German schließen "to shut," Schlüssel "key."

Also partly from Old English beclysan "close in, shut up." Intransitive sense "become shut" is from late 14c. Meaning "draw near to" is from 1520s. Intransitive meaning "draw together, come together" is from 1550s, hence the idea in military verbal phrase close ranks (mid-17c.), later with figurative extensions. Meaning "bring to an end, finish" is from c.1400; intransitive sense "come to an end" is from 1826. Of stock prices, from 1860. Meaning "bring together the parts of" (a book, etc.) is from 1560s. Related: Closed; closing.



late 14c., "strictly confined," also "secret," from Old French clos "confined; concealed, secret; taciturn" (12c.), from Latin clausus "close, reserved," past participle adjective from claudere "stop up, fasten, shut" (see close (v.)); main sense shifting to "near" (late 15c.) by way of "closing the gap between two things." Related: Closely.

Meaning "narrowly confined, pent up" is late 14c. Meaning "near" in a figurative sense, of persons, from 1560s. Meaning "full of attention to detail" is from 1660s. Of contests, from 1855. Close call is from 1866, in a quotation in an anecdote from 1863, possibly a term from the American Civil War; close shave in the figurative sense is 1820, American English. Close range is from 1814. Close-minded is attested from 1818. Close-fisted "penurious, miserly" is from c.1600.



late 14c., "act of closing, conclusion, termination," from close (v.). Also in early use "enclosure, enclosed space" (late 13c.), from Old French clos, noun use of past participle.



"tightly, with no opening or space between," from close (adj.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with close with


In addition to the idioms beginning with close

  • close at hand
  • close but no cigar
  • close call
  • closed book, a
  • closed door
  • close down
  • close in
  • close one's eyes to
  • close out
  • close ranks
  • close shave
  • close the books
  • close the door on
  • close the sale
  • close to home
  • close up

also see:

  • at close quarters
  • at close range
  • behind closed doors
  • keep (a close) watch
  • near (close) to one's heart
  • play one's cards close to one's chest
  • sail close to the wind
  • too close for comfort
  • too close to call