Close Definition

klōs
closed, closer, closes, closest, closing
adjective
closer, closest
Being near in relationship.
Close relatives.
American Heritage
Shut away from observation; hidden; secluded.
Webster's New World
Shut; not open.
Webster's New World
Being on the brink of.
Close to tears.
American Heritage
Enclosed or enclosing; shut in.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
verb
closed, closes, closing
To move (a door, lid, etc.) to a position that covers the opening; shut.
Webster's New World
To undergo shutting.
The door closes quietly.
Webster's New World
To shut by so moving its lid, cover, etc.
Close a jewelry box, one's eyes, etc.
Webster's New World
To bar entrance to or exit from.
To close a street.
Webster's New World
To fill up or stop (an opening)
Webster's New World
noun
closes
A closing or being closed.
Webster's New World
The final part or conclusion; end.
Webster's New World
A hand-to-hand encounter.
Webster's New World
The concluding part of a phrase or theme; a cadence.
American Heritage
An enclosed place, as a farmyard.
Webster's New World
adverb
In a close manner; very near; closely.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
idiom
close the book on
  • To make a final effort regarding (something); bring to a conclusion:

    closed the book on her career with a fine performance.

American Heritage
close to home
  • So as to affect one's feelings or interests:

    Her comment hit close to home.

American Heritage
close to the wind
  • At a close angle into the direction from which the wind is blowing:

    sailing close to the wind.

American Heritage
close by
  • nearby; close at hand
Webster's New World
close to the wind
  • heading as closely as possible in the direction from which the wind is blowing
  • barely avoiding what is unlawful
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Close

Noun

Singular:
close
Plural:
closes

Adjective

Base Form:
close
Comparative:
closer
Superlative:
closest

Origin of Close

  • From Middle English closen (“to close, enclose”), partly continuing (in altered form) earlier Middle English clusen ("to close"; from Old English clȳsan (“to close, shut”); compare beclose, forclose, etc.); and partly derived from the Middle English adjective clos (“close, shut up, confined, secret”), from Old French clos (“close, confined”, adjective), from Latin clausus (“shut up”, past participle), from claudere (“to bar, block, close, enclose, bring an end to, confine”), from Proto-Indo-European *klāw- (“key, hook, nail”), related to Latin clāvis (“key, deadbolt, bar”), clāvus (“nail, peg”), claustrum (“bar, bolt, barrier”), claustra (“dam, wall, barricade, stronghold”). Cognate with Ancient Greek κλείς (kleis, “bar, bolt, key”), German schließen (“to close, conclude, lock”), Dutch sluiten (“to close, conclude, lock”). Replaced Old English lūcan (“to close, lock, enclose”).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English clos closed from Old French from Latin clausus past participle of claudere to close V., from Middle English closen from Old French clore clos- from Latin claudere

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From French clos, from Latin clausum, participle of claudo.

    From Wiktionary

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