closelyclose‧ly /ˈkləʊsli $ ˈkloʊs-/ ●●● S3 W2 adverb 
The detective watched him closely, waiting for a reply.closely controlled/guarded/monitored etc Political activity is closely controlled. Details of the program are a closely-guarded secret.2to a very great degree: I have been closely involved in the work of both committees. The successful applicant will be working closely with our international staff. a creature that closely resembles a red monkey3 closely related/connected/associated etc if two or more things are closely related etc, there is a strong connection between them: closely related subjects such as physics, chemistry, and maths Her development as a writer is closely connected with her religion.4in a way that is close to other things in time or space: lightning, followed closely by thunder We were so closely packed in the elevator I could hardly move.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Bush worked closely with Gorbachev to improve Soviet relations with the U.S.
- The flash of lightning was closely followed by thunder.
- These two issues are closely linked, and it makes sense to consider them together.
- Voters should closely examine all the issues.
- Watch the area closely to make sure it does not become infected.
- Changes in Expectations from the Farm Responses given to this question were linked very closely to changes in family circumstances.
- Far away, the curve hugs the axis very closely.
- I stooped down before the stone and peered closely at it.
- In recent years Applied Linguistics at Edinburgh has been closely involved in the organisation of international seminars and conferences.
- Sequent, too, he suggests, is looking closely at problems with bus bandwidth and distributed computing.
- The men are often in the home, doing work closely associated with women in most societies.
- When the town was closely invested, Marquez decided to seek favorable terms for himself.
Longman Language Activatorto examine something
to look at something carefully and thoroughly because you want to find out more about it: · Experts who examined the painting believe it is genuine.· Her new book examines the causes of social discontent.· A team of divers was sent down to examine the wreckage.examine something for something (=in order to find something): · The police will examine the weapon for fingerprints.
to look carefully at something in order to see small details: · If you look carefully, you can see the artist's name in the corner of the picture.look carefully/closely at: · I had to look closely at the two fish to tell them apart.
especially spoken to look carefully at something in order to find out what is wrong with it or to find out something about it: · "You'd better take a look at this," she said, passing me a letter.· I've asked Ken to have a look at the car - it's been making strange noises.take/have a good look at something (=look very carefully and thoroughly): · Take a good look at the photograph and see if you recognize anyone
also analyse British to examine something closely and in detail, especially a problem or a piece of information, in order to understand it: · Scientists use computers to help analyse the data.· One of the problems in analyzing the situation is that we do not have all the information yet.
to spend a lot of time examining something very carefully, for example a document, a plan, or a problem: · I won't comment till I've had time to study the proposals.· A team of scientists has been studying the effects of acid rain over a twenty-year period.
to look at something carefully and thoroughly to make sure that it is correct, safe, or working properly: · Their passports were checked by immigration officers at the airport.check something for something (=in order to find something): · We need to check the building for structural damage.
to quickly examine every part of something to make sure that it is correct or safe: check over something: · The editor always checks over what I've written.check something over: · I'm going to take the car in and ask the mechanic to check it over before we go on vacation.
to look at something carefully and thoroughly to make sure that it is correct, safe, or working properly, especially when it is your job to do this: · The building is regularly inspected by a fire-safety officer.· Russian and American teams will have the right to inspect each other's missile sites.· Some insurance people have already been here to inspect the damage caused by the storm.inspect something for something (=in order to find something): · All trucks coming through are inspected for mechanical violations.
to examine something such as a document or plan thoroughly from beginning to end, especially in order to check that it is correct: · I'd like to go over last month's accounts with you.· You should still go through the contract with a lawyer before you sign.
to look at every part of something in order to see if it is satisfactory, but fairly quickly and without paying much attention to detail: look over something: · I've looked over all the records and they seem okay.look something over: · The book is expensive, so look it over to make sure it's what you really want.
also scrutinise British to examine something very closely and carefully in order to find out whether there is anything wrong, especially because it is your official duty to do this: · The coach's assistants stood along the field and scrutinized every move we made.· The Federal Trade Commission is scrutinizing the proposed merger of the two companies.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY The detective watched him closely, waiting for a reply. Political activity is closely controlled. Details of the program are a closely-guarded secret. I have been closely involved in the work of both committees. The successful applicant will be working closely with our international staff. a creature that closely resembles a red monkey lightning, followed closely by thunderCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a country closely aligned with the West This policy is closely aligned with the goals of the organization. Mr Edelson was closely connected with Trinity College. The church seeks to cooperate closely with local schools. Lack of prenatal care correlates strongly with premature birth. The description of these events corresponds closely to other accounts written at the time. Stella’s had her hair closely cropped. a closely guarded secret The problems of crime and unemployment are closely intertwined. The two themes are inextricably interwoven in the book. Our economy is inextricably linked with America’s. The copy closely matches the original. The government is monitoring the situation closely. Joseph questioned the doctors closely (=asked them a lot of questions).
The detective watched him closely, waiting for a reply. Political activity is closely controlled. Details of the program are a closely-guarded secret. I have been closely involved in the work of both committees. The successful applicant will be working closely with our international staff. a creature that closely resembles a red monkey lightning, followed closely by thunder a country closely aligned with the West This policy is closely aligned with the goals of the organization. Mr Edelson was closely connected with Trinity College. The church seeks to cooperate closely with local schools. Lack of prenatal care correlates strongly with premature birth. The description of these events corresponds closely to other accounts written at the time. Stella’s had her hair closely cropped. (=in which everyone knows each other well and gives each other support)· The young mothers in the village are a fairly close-knit group.
a closely guarded secret The problems of crime and unemployment are closely intertwined. The two themes are inextricably interwoven in the book. (=with all the members having close relationships) a closely knit community Harold is part of a tightly knit team.
a closely knit community Harold is part of a tightly knit team. Our economy is inextricably linked with America’s. The copy closely matches the original. The government is monitoring the situation closely. Joseph questioned the doctors closely (=asked them a lot of questions).· I want to focus on a small number of closely related questions.
· This poem closely resembles an earlier one.
(=a secret that few people are allowed to know)· The recipe is a closely-guarded secret.
· I watched him closely while he was giving his evidence.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· One closely related question has also been the subject of much recent discussion.· They are not particularly closely related.· Terms such as alternative, natural, unorthodox, or unconventional are closely related but not synonymous.· Similar processes would explain anomalies such as the existence of closely related species in widely separated locations.· Nevertheless, Bell is right in pointing out that style shift and code switching are closely related.· There were two closely related matters which concerned men of the late Middle Ages.· A closely related substance, which was given the name Sontochin, was also laid aside.· This, and a closely related isolate, are now in commercial production for control of this pest.
VERB· More than 50 seats were won by independents, many of whom are closely aligned with Mr Khatami's conservative foes.· Deng closely aligned himself with this stance.· Again, this is where sculpture is closely aligned to social and political history.· Love and pity are closely aligned, didn't you know?
· Concepts of instrumentation in this period appear still to be closely allied to Renaissance consort principles.· Closely allied to the fundamental fear-complex within the personality is violence.· The second reason is closely allied to the first.· Closely allied to our aims and ethos are the School's pastoral system and support network.· The Spirit brings reconciliation Reconciliation is closely allied to this concept of unity.· There's charm here, but it's closely allied to wit and shares with it a piercing quality.· By contrast, the professions of journalism and politics continue to be closely allied.· Ophiohelus is considered to be closely allied to these three genera.
· The Prime Minister designate obviously viewed me with suspicion, as being closely associated with his predecessor.· The men are often in the home, doing work closely associated with women in most societies.· The two were closely associated in the Spontaneous Music Ensemble in the 1960s and this dialogue after along silence fired them both.· Even with alcohol being legal, it is far more closely associated with the commission of crime than are drugs.· Instead, the basalt flows and volcanic central peaks are found to be very closely associated with large craters.
· Equally Leudast's position in Tours was closely connected with changing royal control of the city.· It is not isolated but closely connected with contemporary movements.· He is closely connected with that woman of yer father's, Rosalli Gabrielli.· A long-term irritant to the police has been the ongoing allegation that some officers have been closely connected with freemasonry.· Green politics are closely connected with the emergence of a critical consumer movement.· There is also increased awareness that educational achievements are closely connected to national cultures and traditions.· Some of them were closely connected with those already in existence but they also sprang from advances in science and technology.
· Their budgets are closely controlled by Congress and any departmental legislative proposals will have to run the gauntlet of Congressional scrutiny.· People's performances, including their dress and speech, can in this way be closely controlled.
· Social services departments cooperate closely with voluntary organizations concerned with the welfare of deprived children.
· Electricity sales are closely correlated to economic growth.· In our studies pepsin output correlated closely with acid output.
· Constructive and destructive waves correspond closely with two of the main types of breaker recognised today, namely spilling and plunging breakers.· Each of them has gods and ancestors whose respective power closely corresponds to that of the social groups themselves.· These differences correspond closely to the increased digestion of the upper teeth.· The story presents a picture of the luckless, homeless skinhead which corresponds closely to the movement's own mythology about itself.· This diversification has been shown to correspond closely to a simple exponential growth model.
· These areas look wild and unaffected by man, until they are closely examined.· I examined closely where the squirrel had bitten the branches, and found the bite marks in the thin bark.· He scrutinised Ruthven's corpse, paying particular attention to the hands and closely examining the callous on Ruthven's third finger.· This issue needs to be closely examined to determine the correct balance between initial openness of the l-way architecture and investment incentives.· Take it further and closely examine the warehouse.· Their works should be even more closely examined for relevance to your proposed project.· One has to examine closely what arguments can establish the validity of such consent.· He said interesting and constructive submissions on franchising had been received from the private sector and these were being examined closely.
· Operant conditioning involves contiguity, in that the reinforcing event follows closely the production of a response.· The Times reporter closely followed the resuscitation attempt.· All Saints topped the chart with Pure Shores, closely followed by two artists who played live in Ireland last year.· Traffic and noise, dirt and pollution and crime followed closely behind.· Pearson, as said by some one else, closely followed by chappy.· Progress in rocket performance closely followed establishment of these organizations.· Today a narrow road follows closely the eleven mile perimeter of inlets and bays.· From then on the Chamber began following closely each development as the messages were in turn deciphered and translated.
· The deal, though its precise value is closely guarded, is rumoured to rank as the largest leasing transaction of 1991.· For more than forty years his existence had been a closely guarded secret.· They continued to be closely guarded and severely restricted in their movements.· His smoking had been one of the most closely guarded secrets of the campaign.· It was almost as closely guarded a secret as Operation Majestic UK8.· The winning design was chosen a few months ago and has been a closely guarded secret.· Details of the program are closely guarded secrets.· Why had he chosen to make Vicky privy to this most closely guarded secret, and not me?
· You are re-shaping your beliefs and re-examining your values that have been closely held since childhood.· Last week the closely held firm announced it had sold $ 17. 25 million worth of limited partnership interests.· The closely held retailer said it would sue its partner to recoup more than $ 50 million it claims was unfairly withdrawn.· Family-owned firms frequently are closely held.· Steris Corp. said it purchased Ecomed Inc., a closely held Indianapolis company.· The candidates' true electoral strategies, however, are closely held secrets.· Well, closely held companies often need the money available on the public stock exchanges.· Chapter 16 discusses the theory and practice of valuing closely held businesses and presents a business valuation case study.
· And this possibility had been closely identified with the figure of Osvaldo himself.· It is true that religion has been closely identified with our history and government....· Labour had disappointed many of its supporters, who closely identified the party with the advancement of the welfare state.· Reference groups are groups with which an individual closely identifies.· I was not the only one to have identified closely with my character.· This was the activity with which they came to be most closely identified in the first fifty years of their existence.· But one should not ignore the fact that the Party was also developing its economic policies and identifying closely with the unemployed.
· The language young children hear comes mostly from people who are closely involved with them.· You get closely involved for a few weeks or a few months, and then you send them off.· Johannes Uyttenbogaert was closely involved with the Remonstrants, a liberal and political movement opposed to the extremes of Calvinism.· So we agreed on a step-by-step approach that would closely involve the raftbuilders of Sam Son.· The client remains closely involved in each stage of the investigation.· He also was closely involved in planning the action.· They are very closely involved with each component of their work.· Bassett was closely involved in the success of Wimbledon's Crazy Gang, so he is no overnight success.
· It became even more individualistic and displayed few signs of the closely knit and hierarchically organized structure of the previous era.· Her husband, she says, comes from a very closely knit family and so she continues to feel uneasy.· She had married a large, closely knit family.· There can be no question that the family of J.M. Barrie was closely knit.· Not far from the railway line lived a closely knit family, Mr and Mrs Gorman and their only daughter, Marion.· How closely knit are pollinating animals and plants in rain forest?· In the closely knit ranks of the Sussex gentry such a royal action could only further enhance growing doubts of Stuart intentions.
· This is closely linked to their passivity: it does not occur to them that they could make changes in their world.· Because power and personality are closely linked, it means that individuals will not change easily.· Another more general philosophical argument is closely linked with the theory-dependence of observation.· We know surprisingly little about vanished civilizations whose majesty and whose ultimate demise were closely linked to liberties they took with water.· The development of Confucianism was closely linked with the teaching of the educated classes.· Music, tears, song, breath are so closely linked for me - like a great life giving force.· The problem of interpretation is closely linked to the place of the artefact in intersubjective order.
· You must also listen closely for the vitriolic jewels that emerge from behind the gold-capped smiles.· Leslie Everett Dove had watched and listened closely.· Then 68, he stooped at the shoulders, as if listening closely and looking on with leaky blue eyes.· That reminded me of Mother, and I listened closely.· She had said much more, and while he had not listened closely, he had got the gist.· If so, we had best listen closely, since we will not get another chance.· Have you ever listened closely to yourself, Shannon?· Grossman and his colleagues listened closely.
· Look closely and you will see the sign: Royal Pet Grooming.· The Commission has also looked closely at the potential anticompetitive effects of vertical integration.· Say you see a spore in the moss; every day it could be different if you look closely.· On his way he passed the church, where he looked closely at the old tower door.· We will continue to look closely at mergers in the brewing industry which fall for consideration under the fair trading legislation.· Narbutas looked closely at the corners, where two thin slices of granite met.
· Use a foundation that closely matches your skintone, topped with transparent loose powder to set, then add your pinks.· I would try to guide a child to work with texts in which the pictures more closely match the words.· Table 3.5 shows that sterling and non-sterling liabilities are quite closely matched by corresponding assets.· These are the environments that, in terms at least of summer climates, most closely match milder parts of the northern tundra.· The first is that the data model more closely matches some real-world entities.· The stored characters that most closely match the input are identified as the most likely interpretation of that input.· These firms are closely matched in terms of industry, size, and complexity.
· Conditionalities and controls must be effectively designed, applied to all involved, transparent in operation and closely monitored.· Researcher Gordon Wells monitored closely the talk 20 children from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds engaged in at home and school.· Livestock in the area had been closely monitored but little attention had been paid to wild fowl.· Those patients who have the procedure are monitored closely in follow-up research.· Thyroid function in neuroblastoma patients treated with this compound should be closely monitored.· Of particular concern to the industry is the company's agreement to more closely monitor gun distribution.· The talks were closely monitored via mobile phone, and a bonfire of tyres and bobbins of rayon was kept burning.· Now we have closely monitored play groups, play dates, and quality time.
· Mr Clarke was questioned closely on whether there had been any consultation with Mrs Shephard.· Police say anyone refusing will be questioned closely about their reasons.
· In addition to the cuneiform inscriptions of Old Persian, there was also a closely related liturgical language known as Avestan.· This is closely related to item 3 above.· This is closely related to the history of the town centre development.· Both talking politics and feeling relatively unrestricted about with whom one can safely discuss politics are closely related to educational attainment.· However, philosophy is also closely related to many other disciplines.· Some financial managers transfer to closely related positions in other industries.· If tonalities are not closely related the tonal conflict will be more evident according to the degree of disagreement between the scales.· The strange environment, however, was invariably related closely to the original.
· Any new facilities constructed will closely resemble the facilities of commercial sector health clubs such as David Lloyd Centres or Esporta.· W says the material removes resonance and standing waves, reproducing music that more closely resembles the original.· It operates through receptors whose molecular and physiological properties closely resemble the calcium-mobilizing ryanodine receptors of muscle.· Outside, there was an atmosphere at times more closely resembling a carnival midway than the greatest peacetime sporting event.· The outer half of the belt is dominated by the C-type asteroids, very dark materials that closely resemble carbonaceous meteorites.· Flaccid, deeply dissected, submerged foliage closely resembling an out-stretched bird's foot.· It closely resembles E. macrophyllus and like the latter has no pellucid markings in the leaf blades.
· Furthermore, all these colours and actions can be understood if they are studied closely enough.· Every episode, when studied closely, dissolves into a series of actions, gestures and characters.· However, the tenant's advisers must study closely the terms of the deemed subletting.· He's closely studied Clinton's Oxford career, writing to all his classmates now living in the States.· Still, she thought ruefully, most heroes would have feet of clay if studied closely.· Mr Pullinger placed the chain on a black velvet cushion before closely studying the stones through a small eye glass.· Some of these are disruptive and maladaptive or neurotic, and as a result they have been closely studied.· Det Supt Bob Fenton, who is leading the inquiry, said all the new information would be studied closely.
· In the long run, investment is closely tied to profits.· The train itself was much more closely tied to the larger organization.· Here, technique, perception and response were closely tied together.· Other acts may be equally important as accompaniments of language, though not tied closely to particular things in grammar.· Instead of the usual scapegoating of oystercatchers, local fishermen recognise that their fortunes are closely tied to those of the birds.· But Li is closely tied to the eldest of the revolutionary generation.· Competence and efficiency are closely tied to personal senses of worth and value.· Being too closely tied to one stock can be nerve-racking.
· Countries in the Middle East will be watching closely.· The afternoon will feature three stakes and a closely watched maiden race.· Such insider selling is closely watched by some investors for signs of potential problems within companies.· The Food Lion suit has been closely watched because hidden-camera reports have become a popular staple of network newsmagazine shows.· The text needs to be watched closely for all may not be as it seems at first.· In one of the most closely watched races in the country, he defeated incumbent Republican Andrea Seastrand in a bitter rematch.· Would watch closely and see how matters developed.· Single males are closely watched at nudist gatherings, says Liz.
· James worked closely with his bishops, and in particular with George Abbot, whom he appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 1611.· We are outsiders to large corporations, but we work closely with the insiders.· It is not often that social workers are given the opportunity to work closely with people at the end of their lives.· Despite their racial and religious divergence, he and Omar worked closely together running the caravan.· They worked closely during Desert Storm.· Betts worked closely with SmithKline Beecham to produce the snap-on dispensing closures.· Had I not worked closely with him I would have seen little of this.· Midland has worked closely with the retailer to introduce point of sale terminals which can accept Switch cards.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
- Cuvier noticed that the most recently extinct creatures such as the mammoth were closely related to living species.
- However, a further ten shared elements show whales to be closely related to hippopotami.
- It is not isolated but closely connected with contemporary movements.
- Perhaps even more than is usual in the social sciences, theory is closely related to practice.
- Power strategies are closely related to power bases.
- The men are often in the home, doing work closely associated with women in most societies.
- These enormous structures vary with age and are closely related to the dominance of their owners in the hierarchy.
- This is closely related to item 3 above.
WORD FAMILYadverbclosecloselynounclosenessadjectivecloseverbclose
1very carefully: The detective watched him closely, waiting for a reply.closely controlled/guarded/monitored etc Political activity is closely controlled. Details of the program are a closely-guarded secret.2to a very great degree: I have been closely involved in the work of both committees. The successful applicant will be working closely with our international staff. a creature that closely resembles a red monkey3 closely related/connected/associated etc if two or more things are closely related etc, there is a strong connection between them: closely related subjects such as physics, chemistry, and maths Her development as a writer is closely connected with her religion.4in a way that is close to other things in time or space: lightning, followed closely by thunder We were so closely packed in the elevator I could hardly move.