单词

释义

close1

verb

/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

jump to other results

window/door, etc.

[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

book/umbrella, etc.

[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

shop/store/business, etc.

[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 10pm.
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

See full entry

[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 program 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

See full entry

end

[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 time is running out/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.

[transitive] close something to arrange and settle a business deal

Right now we are trying to close the deal with our sponsors.

[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.

computers

[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.

finance

[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

distance/difference

[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.

cover and hold

[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.

electrical circuit

[transitive] close something to make an electrical circuit continuous

When a finger touches the panel, it closes the circuit.

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French clos-, stem of clore, from Latin claudere ‘to shut’.

Idioms

close the book on something

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

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

(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.

close your mind to something

to refuse to think about something as a possibility

close ranks

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.
if soldiers close ranks, they move closer together in order to defend themselves

shut/close your ears to something

to refuse to listen to something
- She decided to shut her ears to all the rumours.

shut/close your eyes to something

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

very easily, without thinking about it
- I've made this trip so often, I could do it with my eyes shut.

close1

noun

/kləʊz/

[singular] (formal)

jump to other results

the end of a period of time or an activity
- at the close of the seventeenth century
- His life was drawing to a close.
- Can we bring this meeting to a close?
- This chapter of her life had come to a close.
- By the close of London trading, Wall Street was up 9.78 points.
- The West Indies were 98 for 3 at the close of play (= at the end of the day’s play in a cricket match).
Extra Examples
- At the close of trading, he had lost thousands of pounds on the stock market.
- The chairperson brought the meeting to a close.
- The decade drew to a close with the threat of war hanging over Europe.
- At the close of play, the scores were almost level.
- At the close of the first day, things were looking good for the home team.
- The technique probably originated in Italy towards the close of the 13th century.
- She gave her speech at the close of the conference.
- By the close of 2017, the market had settled down.
- The meeting drew to a close.
- The money is due by the close of business on Friday.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verb + close
- bring something to
- come to
- draw to
- …
preposition
- at the close of
- by the close of
- towards/toward the close of
- …
See full entry
the fact of something shutting, especially a door
- The door swung to a close.

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French clos-, stem of clore, from Latin claudere ‘to shut’.

close2

adjective

/kləʊs/

(comparative closer, superlative closest)

Idioms

jump to other results

near

[not usually before noun] near in space or time

I had no idea the beach was so close.
close to somebody/something Our new house is close to the school.
The children are close to each other in age.
She is looking for a job closer to home.
close together The tables were too close together.
Their birthdays are very close together.
This is the closest we can get to the beach by car.
We all have to work in close proximity (= near each other).
Victory was tantalizingly close.

Which Word? near / closenear / close

The adjectives near and close are often the same in meaning, but in some phrases only one of them may be used:
- the near future
- a near neighbour
- a near miss
- a close contest
- a close encounter
- a close call.
Close is more often used to describe a relationship between people:
- a close friend
- close family
- close links.
You do not usually use near in this way.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs

be
come
draw
…

adverb

extremely
remarkably
very
…

preposition

See full entry

relationship

knowing somebody very well and liking them very much

Jo is a very close friend.
close to somebody She is very close to her father.
She and her father are very close.
We're a very close family.

Extra Examples

The two sisters seemed very close.
He was quite close to his older brother.

Topics Family and relationshipsb1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs

be
feel
seem
…

adverb

very
quite

preposition

See full entry

near in family relationship

close relatives, such as your mother and father, and brothers and sisters
The groom and his close family took their places.

opposite distant

very involved in the work or activities of somebody else, usually seeing and talking to them regularly

She has kept in close contact with the victims' families.
They have forged a close working relationship.
a retired army general with close ties to the military
The college has close links with many other institutions.
We work in close association with the ministry.
Their survival depends on close cooperation.
Even their closest allies were shocked by the move.
He is one of the prime minister's closest advisers.
We are in close touch with the police.

careful

[only before noun] careful and complete

Take a close look at this photograph.
On closer examination, the painting proved to be a fake.
A close inspection reveals stunning attention to detail.
Pay close attention to what I am telling you.

almost/likely

[not before noun] almost in a particular state; likely to do something soon

close to something The airline is close to collapse.
He was close to tears.
The species is dangerously close to extinction.
The new library is close to completion.
She knew she was close to death.
close to doing something We are close to signing the agreement.

similar

very similar to something else or to an amount

There's a close resemblance between them (= they look very similar).
close to something This movie is about as close to perfect as you could wish for.
Their chances of winning are close to zero.
His feeling for her was close to hatred.
The total was close to 20% of the workforce.
It was the closest thing to a home she had ever known.
We tried to match the colours, but this is the closest we could get.

Extra Examples

The unemployment total was close to 20% of the workforce.
The book bears a close resemblance to her earlier work.

competition/election, etc.

won by only a small amount or distance

a close match/contest/election
It was pretty close but we lost.
Our team came a close second (= nearly won).
No one expected such a close finish.
The game was closer than the score suggests.
The result is going to be too close to call (= either side may win).

Extra Examples

The organizers of the race are predicting a close finish.
It's a desperately close race—I can't quite see who is ahead.
The California election looks too close to call as voters go to the polls.
I think it's going to be close.

almost bad result

used to describe something, usually a dangerous or unpleasant situation, that nearly happens

Phew! That was close—that car nearly hit us.
We caught the bus in the end but it was close (= we nearly missed it).

Topics Dangerc2

without space

with little or no space in between

over 1 000 pages of close print
The soldiers advanced in close formation.

cut short

cut very short, near to the skin

a close haircut/shave

guarded

[only before noun] carefully guarded

The donor's identity is a close secret.
She was kept under close arrest.

weather/room

warm in an uncomfortable way because there does not seem to be enough fresh air synonym stuffy

It’s very close today—I think there’s going to be a storm.

Topics Weatherc2

private

[not before noun] close (about something) not willing to give personal information about yourself

He was close about his past.

mean

[not before noun] close (with something) (British English) not liking to spend money

She's always been very close with her money.

phonetics

(also high)

(of a vowel) produced with part of the tongue in the highest possible position without limiting the flow of air compare open (21)

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French clos (as noun and adjective), from Latin clausum ‘enclosure’ and clausus ‘closed’, past participle of claudere.

Idioms

at/from close quarters

very near
- fighting at close quarters

at/from close range

from only a short distance away
- The president was shot at close range.
- She scored from close range.
see also close-range

(close/near) at hand

close to you in time or distance
- Help was at hand.
- The property is ideally located with all local amenities close at hand.

close, but no cigar

(informal) used to tell somebody that their attempt or guess was almost but not quite successfulTopics Doubt, guessing and certaintyc2, Difficulty and failurec2

a close call/shave

(informal) a situation in which you only just manage to avoid an accident, etc.
- He had a close shave when his brakes failed on the mountain road.

a close thing

a situation in which success or failure is equally possible
- We got him out in the end, but it was a close thing.
Topics Successc2, Difficulty and failurec2

close/dear/near to somebody’s heart

having a lot of importance and interest for somebody

close to home

if a remark or topic of discussion is close to home, it is accurate or connected with you in a way that makes you uncomfortable or embarrassed
- Her remarks about me were embarrassingly close to home.
that involves somebody directly
- The next year tragedy struck much closer to home.

keep a close eye/watch on somebody/something

to watch somebody/something carefully
- Over the next few months we will keep a close eye on sales.

too close for comfort

so near that it is uncomfortable or dangerous
- When she leaves the stage, the fans can get a little too close for comfort.
- (figurative) They got the win but it was a tight match, definitely too close for comfort.

up close and personal

physically very close to somebody; getting to know them well
- Get up close and personal with the koalas at the San Diego Zoo.
- For the last 30 years, I’ve been up close and personal with people whose lives were in crisis.

close2

adverb

/kləʊs/

(closer, closest)

Idioms

jump to other results

near; not far away
- + adv./prep. They sat close together.
- A second police car followed close behind.
- They are edging closer to an agreement.
- Don't come too close!
- He moved closer so that he could hear her better.
- I couldn't get close enough to see.
- The days were growing colder as winter drew closer.
- Stay close to me!
- She held Tom close and pressed her cheek to his.
Extra Examples
- Get close to the microphone.
- Keep close to me.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
- come
- draw
- …
adverb
- extremely
- remarkably
- very
- …
preposition
- to
See full entry
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French clos (as noun and adjective), from Latin clausum ‘enclosure’ and clausus ‘closed’, past participle of claudere.

Idioms

be close to/near the mark

to be fairly accurate in a guess, statement, etc.
- Such guesses are thought to be close to the mark.
- ‘The Times’ was nearer the mark when it said…
Topics Doubt, guessing and certaintyc2

close at hand

near; in a place where somebody/something can be reached easily
- There are good cafes and a restaurant close at hand.

close by (somebody/something)

at a short distance (from somebody/something)
- Our friends live close by.
- The route passes close by the town.

close on | close to

almost; nearly
- She is close on 60.
- It is close on midnight.
- a profit close to £200 million

a close-run thing

a situation in which somebody only just wins or loses, for example in a competition or an election
- Mr Taylor’s election defeat was a close-run thing.
- The invasion never happened but it was a close-run thing.

close to | close up | up close

in a position very near to something
- The picture looks very different when you see it close to.
- I like those silver earrings in the window. Can I see them up close?

close up to somebody/something

very near in space to somebody/something
- She snuggled close up to him.

come close (to something/to doing something)

to almost reach or do something
- He'd come close to death.
- We didn't win but we came close.
- The welfare state never came close to eliminating poverty.
- The car came perilously close to running her down.

hold/keep/play your cards close to your chest

to keep your ideas, plans, etc. secret

run somebody/something close

(British English) to be nearly as good, fast, successful, etc. as somebody/something else
- Germany ran Argentina very close in the final.
Topics Difficulty and failurec2

sail close to the wind

to take a risk by doing something that is dangerous or that may be illegalTopics Dangerc2

close2

noun

/kləʊs/

jump to other results

(British English) (especially in street names) a street that is closed at one end
- Brookside Close
the grounds and buildings that surround and belong to a cathedral

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French clos (as noun and adjective), from Latin clausum ‘enclosure’ and clausus ‘closed’, past participle of claudere.

随便看

英语词典包含84843条英英释义在线翻译词条，基本涵盖了全部常用单词的英英翻译及用法，是英语学习的有利工具。