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Definition of close 1 verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

close1

verb
 
 
/kləʊz/
 
/kləʊz/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they close
 
/kləʊz/
 
/kləʊz/
he / she / it closes
 
/ˈkləʊzɪz/
 
/ˈkləʊzɪz/
past simple closed
 
/kləʊzd/
 
/kləʊzd/
past participle closed
 
/kləʊzd/
 
/kləʊzd/
-ing form closing
 
/ˈkləʊzɪŋ/
 
/ˈkləʊzɪŋ/
Idioms Phrasal Verbs
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    window/door, etc.

  1.  
     [transitive, intransitive] close (something) to put something into a position so that it covers an opening; to get into this position synonym shut
    • He closed the door firmly.
    • Would anyone mind if I closed the window?
    • She closed the gate behind her.
    • It's dark now—let's close the curtains.
    • I closed my eyes against the bright light.
    • The doors open and close automatically.
    opposite open
    Extra Examples
    • She gently closed the door behind her.
    • She closed her eyes and fell asleep immediately.
    • He closed his ears to the noise.
    • The gates can be opened and closed at the touch of a button.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • firmly
    • tightly
    • gently
    • …
    See full entry
    2.

    book/umbrella, etc.

  2.  
     [transitive] close something to move the parts of something together so that it is no longer open synonym shut
    • to close a book/an umbrella
    • He ate greedily, without closing his mouth.
    opposite open
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • firmly
    • tightly
    • gently
    • …
    See full entry
    3.

    shop/store/business, etc.

  3.  
     [transitive, often passive, intransitive] to make the work of a shop, etc. stop for a period of time; to not be open for people to use
    • be closed The school was closed because of the heavy snow.
    • be closed for something The museum has been closed for renovation.
    • be closed to somebody/something The road was closed to traffic for two days.
    • The castle has been closed to visitors because of the royal wedding.
    • What time does the bank close?
    • close for something We close for lunch between twelve and two.
    opposite open
    Extra Examples
    • Tomorrow college officially closes for the vacation.
    • The museum has been temporarily closed to the public.
    • On Friday, all the offices were closed for the parade.
    • The shops don't close until 10 p.m.
    • She urged them not to close their borders to refugees.
    • The canal is rarely closed for repair work.
    • They have closed two stations for repairs.
    Topics Shoppinga1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • permanently
    • temporarily
    • officially
    • …
    preposition
    • to
    See full entry
  4.  
     [transitive, intransitive]
    (also close down, close something down)
    if a company, shop, etc. closes, or if you close it, it stops operating as a business
    • The hospital closed at the end of last year.
    • The play closed after just three nights.
    • close something The club was closed by the police.
    • All the steelworks around here were closed down in the 1980s.
    opposite open
    Extra Examples
    • It was a pity the business closed.
    • They are closing their Liverpool factory.
    • That factory's been closed down now.
    • The plant will be closed in February with the loss of almost 400 jobs.
    • The programme may be forced to close due to a dramatic rent increase.
    • The decision to close a business can be challenging.
    • The company has announced plans to close three factories and lay off 600 workers.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • permanently
    • temporarily
    • officially
    • …
    preposition
    • to
    See full entry
    5.

    end

  5.  
     [intransitive, transitive] to end or make something end
    • The meeting will close at 10.00 p.m.
    • The offer closes at the end of the week.
    • I will close with a few words about future events.
    • close something to close a meeting/debate
    • to close a case/an investigation
    • to close an account (= to stop keeping money in a bank account)
    • The subject is now closed (= we will not discuss it again).
    Which Word? close / shutclose / shutYou can close and shut doors, windows, your eyes, mouth, etc.
    • Shut can suggest more noise and is often found in phrases such as slammed shut, banged shut, snapped shut.
    • Shut is also usually used for containers such as boxes, suitcases, etc.
    • To talk about the time when shops, offices, etc. are not open, use close or shut:
      • What time do the banks close/​shut?
      • A strike has shut the factory.
      You can also use closed or shut (North American English usually closed):
      • The store is closed/​shut today.
      Especially in North American English, shut can sound less polite.
    • Closed is used in front of a noun, but shut is not:
      • a closed window.
    • We usually use closed about roads, airports, etc:
      • The road is closed because of the snow.
    • Close is also used in formal English to talk about ending a meeting or conversation.
    opposite open
    Express Yourself Wrapping up a discussionWrapping up a discussionIn a formal meeting or conference, you may have to bring the session to a close. Here are some ways to get people to stop speaking:
      • I’m afraid we’re running out of time, so we'll have to make this the final question.
      • We've only got a couple of minutes left, so can we summarize what we've agreed?
      • I'd like to close the session with a few final remarks…
      • We'll have to leave it there, but thank you all very much for your input.
      • Well, that's all we have time for today, but we'll meet again on Tuesday.
      • I'd like to thank you all for coming and for a very productive meeting.
    Extra Examples
    • A police spokesman said that the case was now closed.
    • Mr Hunt then closed the debate for the government.
    • The festival closed with a rousing chorus of 'Jerusalem'.
    • The police have now closed the file on him.
    • Counting of votes will begin when the polls close.
    • She felt she had closed that chapter in her life.
  6. [transitive] close something to arrange and settle a business deal
    • Right now we are trying to close the deal with our sponsors.
    Topics Businessc1
  7. [transitive] close something to put an end to a mistake in something that causes a security risk or gives somebody an unfair advantage
    • The company acted quickly to close a security hole in its online systems.
    • Congressional leaders have agreed to close a loophole that gave small businesses a big tax break for buying SUVs.
    8.

    computers

  8. [transitive] close something (computing) to stop using a computer program or file and put it away
    • Once I got a few apps closed, it started working again.
    9.

    finance

  9. [intransitive] close (at something) to be worth a particular amount at the end of the day’s business
    • Shares in the company closed at 265p.
    • closing prices
    10.

    distance/difference

  10. [transitive, intransitive] close (something) to make the distance or difference between two people or things smaller; to become smaller or narrower
    • These measures are aimed at closing the gap between rich and poor.
    • The gap between the two top teams is closing all the time.
    11.

    cover and hold

  11. [transitive, intransitive] close (something) about/around/over somebody/something to cover somebody/something and hold them/it, or to make something do this
    • She closed her hand over his.
    • Her hand closed over his.
    12.

    electrical circuit

  12. [transitive] close something to make an electrical circuit continuous
    • When a finger touches the panel, it closes the circuit.
    13. Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French clos-, stem of clore, from Latin claudere ‘to shut’.
Idioms
close the book on something
  1. to stop doing something because you no longer believe you will be successful or will find a solution
    • The police have closed the book on the case (= they have stopped trying to solve it).
close/shut the door on something
  1. to make it unlikely that something will happen
    • She was careful not to close the door on the possibility of further talks.
close its doors | close shop
  1. (of a business, etc.) to stop trading
    • The factory closed its doors for the last time in 2009.
    • The company closed shop and left the US last year.
    Topics Businessc2
close your mind to something
  1. to refuse to think about something as a possibility
close ranks
  1. if a group of people close ranks, they work closely together to defend themselves, especially when they are being criticized
    • It's not unusual for the police to close ranks when one of their officers is being investigated.
  2. if soldiers close ranks, they move closer together in order to defend themselves
shut/close your ears to something
  1. to refuse to listen to something
    • She decided to shut her ears to all the rumours.
shut/close your eyes to something
  1. to pretend that you have not noticed something so that you do not have to deal with it
    • You can't just close your eyes to his violence.
    • They seem intent on shutting their eyes to the problems of pollution.
with your eyes shut/closed
  1. very easily, without thinking about it
    • I've made this trip so often, I could do it with my eyes shut.
See close in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee close in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: close1

Nearby words

given
adjective
 
 
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