close¹ /klōs/

1. Near, in time or place (often with to or by)
2. Shut up or shut tight with no opening
3. Strictly confined
4. Narrow
5. Nearly equal or even
6. Near the surface, short
7. Tight in fit
8. Compact
9. Crowded, dense
10. Stifling, unventilated, airless
11. Intimate
12. Stingy, miserly
13. (of money, finance, etc) difficult to obtain
14. Private, restricted to a certain class or group
15. Reserved
16. Hidden or secluded
17. Secret
18. Thorough, detailed
19. Rigorous, careful
20. (of a vowel) pronounced with slight opening, or with the tongue tense

1. In a close manner or position
2. Tightly
3. Nearly
4. Densely
5. Secretly

1. An enclosed place
2. A small enclosed field
3. A small, quiet, esp dead-end road
4. A narrow passage off a street, esp leading to a tenement stairway or courtyard
5. The precinct of a cathedral

closeˈly adverb

closeˈness noun

close-bandˈed adjective

Closely united

closeˈ-barred adjective

Firmly closed

close-bodˈied adjective

Fitting close to the body

Close Brethren plural noun

The Exclusive Brethren, a branch of the Plymouth Brethren whose members will not associate with (eg eat in company with) people outside their group

close call noun

A narrow escape

close company noun

A firm controlled by five, or fewer, people who own a majority of the shares

close corporation noun

A corporation which fills up its own vacancies, without outside interference

closeˈ-cropped adjective

1. (of hair) cut very short
2. (of grass, etc) cut, or eaten by animals, down to the level of the ground

close-coupˈled adjective

(of two parts) attached close together

close encounter noun

A direct personal confrontation with an extraterrestrial being (also figurative)

close-fistˈed or close-handˈed adjective

Penurious, covetous

closeˈ-fitting adjective

(of clothes) designed to fit tightly

closeˈ-grained adjective

With the particles, fibres, etc close together, compact

close harmony noun (music)

Harmony in which the notes of chords lie close together

closeˈ-hauled adjective (nautical)

(in trim for) sailing as near as possible towards where the wind is coming from

closeˈhead noun (Scot)

The entrance to a close, or the gossips that congregate there

close-inˈ adjective

Positioned or operating at a small distance

closeˈ-knit adjective

(of communities, etc) closely connected, bound together

close-lippedˈ or close-mouthedˈ adjective

Reticent, saying little

close quarters see at close quarters below.

close-rangeˈ adjective

In, at or within a short distance

closeˈ-reefed adjective (nautical)

Having all reefs taken in

close-runˈ adjective

(of a contest) fiercely contested, with a narrow margin of victory

close season or closed season noun

1. A time of the year when it is illegal to kill certain game or fish, usu the breeding season
2. A prohibited or inactive period

close-setˈ adjective

(of eyes) positioned close together

close shave or close thing noun

A close call

closeˈ-stool noun

A chamberpot enclosed in a box or stool

close tennis noun

Real tennis, distinguished from lawn tennis

closeˈ-tongued adjective (archaic)

Cautious in speaking, reticent

closeˈ-up noun

1. A photograph or film taken near at hand and thus detailed and big in scale
2. A close scrutiny

at close quarters

1. (of fighting) hand-to-hand or at close range
2. In close proximity

close at or to hand

Easily accessible

close on

Almost, nearly

close to the chest

Without revealing one's intentions

close to home

Too near to one's own situation to be comfortable

run someone close

To be very near someone in standard or achievement

close² /klōz/

1. To complete, conclude
2. To end, terminate
3. To block, make impassable or impenetrable
4. To forbid access to
5. To place (a door, etc) so as to cover an opening, to shut
6. To put an end to discussion of
7. To cease operating or trading
8. To make close, draw or bring together, narrow
9. To unite
10. To approach or pass near to

1. To come to an end
2. To cease operating or trading
3. To come together
4. To unite
5. To narrow
6. To grapple
7. To agree (with)
8. (of currency, a financial index, etc) to measure or be worth (a specified figure) at the end of the day's business (with at)

1. The manner or time of closing
2. A pause or stop
3. A cadence
4. The end
5. A junction, union
6. An encounter, a conflict (Shakespeare)

closed adjective

1. Shut
2. Blocked
3. Not open to traffic
4. With permanent sides and top
5. Having a lid, cover, etc
6. Exclusive, having few contacts outside itself, eg a closed community
7. Not open to all, restricted
8. Continuous and finishing where it began

closˈer noun

1. Someone or something that concludes
2. Any portion of a brick used to close up the bond next to the end brick of a course (building)
3. A pitcher who specializes in defending a lead late in the game (baseball)

closˈing noun

1. Enclosing
2. Ending
3. Coming together, agreement

closˈure noun

1. The act of closing
2. Something that closes or fastens
3. The end
4. The ending of a parliamentary debate by a member calling for a vote
5. A feeling of satisfaction or resignation when a particular episode has come to an end

To apply the closure to (a parliamentary debate)

closed book noun (figurative)

1. A mystery, something about which one knows or understands nothing
2. A subject or matter that has been concluded and which is no longer for consideration, discussion, etc

closed-chainˈ adjective (chem)

Having a molecule in which the atoms are linked ringwise, like a chain with the ends united

closed circuit noun

1. An electrical circuit in which current flows when voltage is applied
2. A television system in which the transmission is restricted to a limited number of screens connected to the television camera by cables, etc (also closed-circuit television)

closed community noun (ecology)

A plant community that is so dense that no new species can colonize

closed couplet noun (prosody)

Two metrical lines whose grammatical structure and sense concludes at the end of the second line

closed-doorˈ see behind closed doors below.

closed-endˈ adjective

1. Having fixed limits
2. (of an investment trust) offering shares up to a limited number

closed-inˈ adjective

Claustrophobically enclosed

closed-loopˈ adjective

Denoting a computer system in which performance is controlled by comparing output with an expected standard

closedown see close down below.

closed population noun (biology)

A population in which there is no new gene input from outside and in which mutation is the only source of genetic variation

closed scholarship noun

A scholarship open only to those candidates able to fulfil certain criteria, such as attendance at a particular school, etc

closed set noun (mathematics)

A set in which the result of combining any two members of the set using a given operation always results in a member of the original set

closed shop noun

1. An establishment in which only members of a trade union, or of a particular trade union, will be employed
2. The principle or policy implied in such a regulation

closed syllable noun (phonetics)

One ending in a consonant

closing date noun

The date by which something must be submitted, completed, etc

closing price noun

The value of shares on the stockmarket when business stops for the day

closing time noun

The time at which business stops, esp in public houses

behind closed doors

In private, the public being excluded, as in court cases, committee meetings, etc (closed-doorˈ adjective)

close a bargain

To come to an agreement

close down

1. To come to a standstill or stoppage of work
2. (esp in team games, eg football) to slow the pace of a game and prevent the opposition from making any attacking manoeuvres
3. (of a television or radio station) to end a period of broadcasting
4. (of a business) to cease trading (closeˈdown noun)

close in

(of days) to contain a progressively shorter period of daylight, as between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice

close in upon

To surround and draw near to

close on

To catch up with

close one's eyes (euphemistic)

To die

close one's eyes to

To ignore or disregard purposely

close ranks

1. (of soldiers drawn up in line) to stand closer together in order to present a more solid front to the enemy
2. To unite, make a show of solidarity in order to protect a member or all the members of a group from attack

close up

1. To cease operating
2. To draw together

close with

1. To accede to
2. To grapple or engage in combat with

with closed doors same as behind closed doors (see above).

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