close quarters

[ klohs ]
See synonyms for close quarters on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a small, cramped place or position.

  2. direct and close contact in a fight: They met at close quarters, exchanging many quick jabs.

Origin of close quarters

1
First recorded in 1745–55

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use close quarters in a sentence

  • It was now evident that Aguinaldo had no intention to come to close quarters and bring matters to a crisis by pitched battles.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
  • The Cristobal Colon would have a bad time if the two ships came to close quarters.

  • The Maine was sunk by a torpedo, discharged at close quarters underneath her magazine.

    The Double Four | E. Phillips Oppenheim
  • The regulars reserved their fire for close quarters, and then delivered it to bloody purpose.

    Overland | John William De Forest
  • The nine-millimeter rifles were said to be large enough for nearly all purposes, but not reassuring in extremely close quarters.

    In Africa | John T. McCutcheon

British Dictionary definitions for close quarters

close quarters

/ (kləʊs) /


pl n
  1. a narrow cramped space or position

  2. at close quarters

    • engaged in hand-to-hand combat

    • in close proximity; very near together

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012