to bring together the parts of; join; unite (often followed by up): Close up those ranks! The surgeon closed the incision.
7.
Electricity. to complete (an electrical circuit) by joining the circuit elements: The circuit was closed so the current could be measured.
8.
to bring to an end: to close a debate.
9.
to arrange the final details of; to conclude negotiations about: to close a deal to everyone's satisfaction.
10.
to complete or settle (a contract or transaction); consummate: We close the sale of the house next week.
11.
to stop rendering the customary services of: to close a store for the night.
12.
to terminate or suspend the operation of; to halt the activities of: The epidemic forced authorities to close the schools. The police closed the bar for selling liquor to minors.
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).
15.
Archaic. to shut in or surround on all sides; enclose; cover in: to close a bird in a cage.
to cease to offer the customary activities or services: The school closed for the summer.
22.
to enter into or reach an agreement, usually as a contract: The builder closed with the contractor after negotiations.
23.
(of a theatrical production) to cease to be performed: The play closed in New York yesterday and will open in Dallas next week.
24.
(of a stock, group of stocks, etc.) to be priced or show a change in price as specified at the end of a trading period: The market closed low for the fourth straight day.
based on a strong uniting feeling of respect, honor, or love: a close circle of friends.
32.
fitting tightly: a close, clinging negligee.
33.
(of a haircut or shave, the mowing of a lawn, etc.) so executed that the hair, grass, or the like is left flush with the surface or very short.
34.
not deviating from the subject under consideration.
35.
strict; searching; minute: The matter requires close investigation.
36.
not deviating from a model or original: a close, literal translation.
37.
nearly even or equal: a close contest.
38.
strictly logical: close reasoning.
39.
shut; shut tight; not open: a close hatch.
40.
shut in; enclosed.
41.
completely enclosing or surrounding: a close siege preventing all escape.
42.
without opening; with all openings covered or closed.
43.
confined; narrow: close quarters.
44.
lacking fresh or freely circulating air: a hot, close room.
45.
heavy; oppressive: a spell of close, sultry weather.
46.
narrowly confined, as a prisoner.
47.
practicing or keeping secrecy; secretive; reticent: She is so close that you can tell her all your secrets.
48.
parsimonious; stingy: He is very close with his money.
49.
scarce, as money.
50.
not open to public or general admission, competition, etc.: The entire parish participated in the close communication.
51.
(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).
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. 34a).
54.
Heraldry. (of a bird) represented as having folded wings: an eagle close.
to terminate the operation of; discontinue: to close down an air base because of budget cuts.
b.
to attempt to control or eliminate: The city must close down drug traffic.
70.
close in on/upon,
a.
to approach so as to capture, attack, arrest, etc.: The hoodlums closed in on their victim.
b.
to surround or envelop so as to entrap: a feeling that the room was closing in upon her.
71.
close out,
a.
to reduce the price of (merchandise) for quick sale: That store is closing out its stock of men's clothing.
b.
to liquidate or dispose of finally and completely: They closed out their interests after many years in this city.
72.
close up,
a.
to come together in close array; converge: The enemy was closing up on us from both flanks.
b.
to bring to an end; cease: The company is closing up its overseas operations.
c.
to become silent or uncommunicative.
d.
to reduce or eliminate spacing material between (units of set type).
Idioms
73.
close ranks, to unite forces, especially by overlooking petty differences, in order to deal with an adverse or challenging situation; to join together in a show of unity, especially to the public: When the newspaper story broke suggesting possible corruption in the government, the politicians all closed ranks.
74.
close to the wind, Nautical. in a direction nearly opposite to that from which the wind is coming: to sail close to the wind.
75.
close up,
a.
from close range; in a detailed manner; intimately.
b.
Nautical. fully raised; at the top of the halyard: an answering pennant flown close up. Compare dip(def. 37).
Origin: before 1050; (noun, adj.) Middle English clos < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin clausus, past participle of claudere to close (compare clause); (v.) Middle English closen, verbal derivative of the adj. (compare Old English clȳsan, beclȳsan to shut in, enclose, verbal derivative of clūse bar, enclosure < Medieval Latin clūsa, for Latin clausa, feminine of clausus); noun and adj. senses with voiced pronunciation of s are presumably modern deverbal derivatives
Can be confused:close, cloth, clothe, clothes, cloze (see synonym note at the current entry).
Synonyms 2. bar; clog; choke. 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. 8. complete, end, conclude, terminate, finish. 21. stop; suspend. 26. firm, solid. 27. immediate, proximate, nearby. 35. intent, concentrated. 36. scrupulous, exacting, accurate, faithful. 45. muggy, thick. 47. taciturn, uncommunicative, reserved. 48. penurious, miserly, tight, mean. See stingy.59.See end1.
early 14c., "strictly confined," also "secret," from O.Fr. clos "confined," from L. clausus, pp. of claudere "stop up, fasten, shut" (see close (v.)); sense shifting to "near" (late 15c.) by way of "closing the gap between two things." Close call is 1881; close shave is 1834;
close quarters is 1753, originally nautical. Close-up (n.) in photography, etc., is from 1913. Closed circuit is attested from 1827; closed shop in union sense from 1904; closed system first recorded 1896 in William James; close-minded is attested from 1854.