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Webster 1913 Edition

Close

Close

(klōz)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Closed
(klōzd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Closing
.]
[From OF. & F.
clos
, p. p. of
clore
to close, fr. L.
claudere
; akin to G.
schliessen
to shut, and to E.
clot
,
cloister
,
clavicle
,
conclude
,
sluice
. Cf.
Clause
,
Noun.
]
1.
To stop, or fill up, as an opening; to shut;
as, to
close
the eyes; to
close
a door
.
2.
To bring together the parts of; to consolidate;
as, to
close
the ranks of an army; – often used with
up
.
3.
To bring to an end or period; to conclude; to complete; to finish; to end; to consummate;
as, to
close
a bargain; to
close
a course of instruction
.
One frugal supper did our studies
close
.
Dryden.
4.
To come or gather around; to inclose; to encompass; to confine.
The depth
closed
me round about.
Jonah ii. 5.
But now thou dost thyself immure and
close

In some one corner of a feeble heart.
Herbert.
A closed sea
,
a sea within the jurisdiction of some particular nation, which controls its navigation.

Close

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To come together; to unite or coalesce, as the parts of a wound, or parts separated.
What deep wounds ever
closed
without a scar?
Byron.
2.
To end, terminate, or come to a period;
as, the debate
closed
at six o’clock
.
3.
To grapple; to engage in hand-to-hand fight.
They boldly
closed
in a hand-to-hand contest.
Prescott.
To close on
or
To close upon
,
to come to a mutual agreement; to agree on or join in.
“Would induce France and Holland to close upon some measures between them to our disadvantage.”
Sir W. Temple.
–
To close with
.
(a)
To accede to; to consent or agree to;
as, to
close with
the terms proposed
.
(b)
To make an agreement with.
–
To close with the land
(Naut.)
,
to approach the land.

Close

,
Noun.
1.
The manner of shutting; the union of parts; junction.
[Obs.]
The doors of plank were; their
close
exquisite.
Chapman.
2.
Conclusion; cessation; ending; end.
His long and troubled life was drawing to a
close
.
Macaulay.
3.
A grapple in wrestling.
Bacon.
4.
(Mus.)
(a)
The conclusion of a strain of music; cadence.
(b)
A double bar marking the end.
Syn. – Conclusion; termination; cessation; end; ending; extremity; extreme.

Close

(? or ?)
,
Noun.
[OF. & F.
clos
an inclosure, fr.
clos
, p. p. of
clore
. See
Close
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
An inclosed place; especially, a small field or piece of land surrounded by a wall, hedge, or fence of any kind; – specifically, the precinct of a cathedral or abbey.
Closes
surrounded by the venerable abodes of deans and canons.
Macaulay.
2.
A narrow passage leading from a street to a court, and the houses within.
[Eng.]
Halliwell
3.
(Law)
The interest which one may have in a piece of ground, even though it is not inclosed.
Bouvier.

Close

(klōs)
,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Closer
(klō′sẽr)
;
sup
erl.
Closest
.]
[Of. & F.
clos
, p. p. of
clore
. See
Close
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
Shut fast; closed; tight;
as, a
close
box
.
From a
close
bower this dainty music flowed.
Dryden.
2.
Narrow; confined;
as, a
close
alley;
close
quarters
.
“A close prison.”
Dickens.
3.
Oppressive; without motion or ventilation; causing a feeling of lassitude; – said of the air, weather, etc.
If the rooms be low-roofed, or full of windows and doors, the one maketh the air
close
, . . . and the other maketh it exceeding unequal.
Bacon.
4.
Strictly confined; carefully quarded;
as, a
close
prisoner
.
5.
Out of the way observation; secluded; secret; hidden.
“He yet kept himself close because of Saul.”
1 Chron. xii. 1
“Her
close
intent.”
Spenser.
6.
Disposed to keep secrets; secretive; reticent.
“For secrecy, no lady closer.”
Shak.
7.
Having the parts near each other; dense; solid; compact; as applied to bodies; viscous; tenacious; not volatile, as applied to liquids.
The golden globe being put into a press, . . . the water made itself way through the pores of that very
close
metal.
Locke.
8.
Concise; to the point;
as,
close
reasoning
.
“Where the original is close no version can reach it in the same compass.”
Dryden.
9.
Adjoining; near; either in space; time, or thought; – often followed by to.
Plant the spring crocuses
close
to a wall.
Mortimer.
The thought of the Man of sorrows seemed a very
close
thing – not a faint hearsay.
G. Eliot.
10.
Short;
as, to cut grass or hair
close
.
11.
Intimate; familiar; confidential.
League with you I seek
And mutual amity, so strait, so
close
,
That I with you must dwell, or you with me.
Milton.
12.
Nearly equal; almost evenly balanced;
as, a
close
vote
.
“A close contest.”
Prescott.
13.
Difficult to obtain;
as, money is
close
.
Bartlett.
14.
Parsimonious; stingy.
“A crusty old fellow, as close as a vise.”
Hawthorne.
15.
Adhering strictly to a standard or original; exact; strict;
as, a
close
translation
.
Locke.
16.
Accurate; careful; precise; also, attentive; undeviating; strict; not wandering;
as, a
close
observer
.
17.
(Phon.)
Uttered with a relatively contracted opening of the mouth, as certain sounds of e and o in French, Italian, and German; – opposed to open.
Close borough
.
See under
Borough
.
–
Close breeding
.
See under
Breeding
.
–
Close communion
,
communion in the Lord's supper, restricted to those who have received baptism by immersion.
–
Close corporation
,
a body or corporation which fills its own vacancies.
–
Close fertilization
.
(Bot.)
See
Fertilization
.
–
Close harmony
(Mus.)
,
compact harmony, in which the tones composing each chord are not widely distributed over several octaves.
–
Close time
,
a fixed period during which killing game or catching certain fish is prohibited by law.
–
Close vowel
(Pron.)
,
a vowel which is pronounced with a diminished aperture of the lips, or with contraction of the cavity of the mouth.
–
Close to the wind
(Naut.)
,
directed as nearly to the point from which the wind blows as it is possible to sail; closehauled; – said of a vessel.

Close

(klōs)
,
adv.
1.
In a close manner.
2.
Secretly; darkly.
[Obs.]
A wondrous vision which did
close
imply
The course of all her fortune and posterity.
Spenser.

Webster 1828 Edition

Close

CLOSE

, v.t.
1.
To shut; to make fast, by pressing together, or by stopping an open place, so as to intercept a passage, in almost any manner; as, to close the eyes; to close a gate, door or window. In these and other cases, closing is performed by bringing an object before the opening. To close a book, is to bring the parts together.
The Lord hath closed your eyes. Is. 29.
He closed the book. Luke 4.
2.
To end; to finish; to conclude; to complete; to bring to a period; as, to close a bargain, or contract.
One frugal supper did our studies close.
3.
To unite, as the parts of a breach or fracture; to make whole; to consolidate; often followed by up.
The Lord closed up the flesh instead thereof. Gen. 2.
4.
To cover; to inclose; to encompass; to overwhelm.
The depths closed me round about. Jonah 2.
5.
To inclose; to confine. [See Inclose.]
6.
To move or bring together; to unite separate bodies or parts; as, to close the ranks of an army.

CLOSE

,
Verb.
I.
s as z.
1.
To unite; to coalesce; to come together; as the parts of a wound or fracture, or parts separated; often followed by on or upon.
The fat closed upon the blade. Judges 3.
The earth closed upon them. Num. 16.
2.
To end; to terminate, or come to a period; as, the debate closed at six oclock.
To close on or upon, to come to a mutual agreement; to agree on or join in.
France and Holland might close upon some measures to our disadvantage.
To close with, to accede to; to consent or agree to; as, to close with the terms proposed. When followed by the person with whom an agreement is made, to make an agreement with; to unite with; as, to close with an enemy.
He took the time when Richard was deposed,
And high and low with happy Harry closed.
In this sense, to close in with is less elegant.
To close with,
To close in with, To unite; to join closely; to grapple, as persons in a contest; applied to wrestlers, when they come to close embrace for scuffling.

CLOSE

, a.
1.
Shut fast; tight; made fast, so as to have no opening; as a close box; a close vizard.
2.
Having parts firmly united; compact; dense; applied to solid substances of any king; as the close texture of wood or metal.
3.
Having parts firmly adhering; viscous; tenacious; as oil, or glue.
4.
Confined; stagnant; without ventilation or motion; as close air.
5.
Confined; retired.
While David kept himself close. 1 Chron. 12.
6.
Hid; private; secret; as, to keep a purpose close. Numb. 5. Luke 9.
7.
Confined within narrow limits; narrow; as a close alley.
8.
Near; within a small distance; as a close fight or action.
9.
Joined; in contact or nearly so; crowded; as, to sit close.
10.
Compressed, as thoughts or words; hence, brief; concise; opposed to loose or diffuse.
Where the original is close, no version can reach it in the same compass.
11.
Very near, in place or time; adjoining, or nearly so.
I saw him come close to the ram. Dan. 8.
They sailed close by Crete. Acts 27.
Some dire misfortune follows close behind.
12.
Having the quality of keeping secrets, thoughts or designs; cautious; as a close minister. Hence in friendship, trusty; confidential
13.
Having an appearance of concealment; implying art, craft or wariness; as a close aspect.
14.
Intent; fixed; attentive; pressing upon the object; as, to give close attention.
Keep your mind or thoughts close to the business or subject.
15.
Full to the point; home; pressing; as a close argument; bring the argument close to the question.
16.
Pressing; earnest; warm; as a close debate.
17.
Confined; secluded from communication; as a close prisoner.
18.
Covetous; penurious; not liberal; as a close man.
19.
Applied to the weather or air, close, in popular language, denotes warm and damp, cloudy or foggy, or warm and relaxing, occasioning a sense of lassitude and depression. Perhaps originally, confined air.
20.
Strictly adhering to the original; as a close translation.
21.
In heraldry, drawn in a coat of arms with the wings close, and in a standing posture.
Close communion, with baptists, communion in the Lords supper with their own sect only.
Close election, an election in which the votes for different candidates are nearly equal.

CLOSE

,
adv.
Closely; nearly; densely; secretly; pressingly.
Behind her death close followed, pace for pace.

Definition 2024

close

close

English

Pronunciation

  • (UK) enPR: klōz, IPA(key): /kləʊz/
  • Rhymes: -əʊz
  • (US) enPR: klōz, IPA(key): /kloʊz/
  • Homophone: clothes (in some dialects)

Verb

close ‎(third-person singular simple present closes, present participle closing, simple past and past participle closed)

  1. (physical) To remove a gap.
    1. To obstruct (an opening).
    2. To move so that an opening is closed.
      Close the door behind you when you leave.‎
      Jim was listening to headphones with his eyes closed.‎
      • Lord Byron (1788-1824)
        What deep wounds ever closed without a scar?
      • 1977, Agatha Christie, An Autobiography, Part II, chapter2:
        If I close my eyes I can see Marie today as I saw her then. Round, rosy face, snub nose, dark hair piled up in a chignon.
    3. To make (e.g. a gap) smaller.
      The runner in second place is closing the gap on the leader.‎
      to close the ranks of an army‎
    4. To grapple; to engage in close combat.
  2. (social) To finish, to terminate.
    1. To put an end to; to conclude; to complete; to finish; to consummate.
      close the session;   to close a bargain;   to close a course of instruction‎
      • John Dryden (1631-1700)
        One frugal supper did our studies close.
    2. To come to an end.
      The debate closed at six o'clock.‎
    3. (marketing) To make a sale.
    4. (baseball, pitching) To make the final outs, usually three, of a game.
      He has closed the last two games for his team.‎
    5. (figuratively, computing) To terminate an application, window, file or database connection, etc.
  3. To come or gather around; to enclose; to encompass; to confine.
    • Bible, Jonah ii. 5
      The depth closed me round about.
    • George Herbert (1593-1633)
      But now Thou dost Thyself immure and close / In some one corner of a feeble heart; / Where yet both Sinne and Satan, Thy old foes, / Do pinch and straiten Thee, and use much art / To gain Thy thirds' and little part.
  4. (surveying) To have a vector sum of 0; that is, to form a closed polygon.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations

Noun

close ‎(plural closes)

  1. An end or conclusion.
    We owe them our thanks for bringing the project to a successful close.
    • Macaulay
      His long and troubled life was drawing to a close.
  2. The manner of shutting; the union of parts; junction.
    • Chapman
      The doors of plank were; their close exquisite.
  3. A grapple in wrestling.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Francis Bacon to this entry?)
  4. (music) The conclusion of a strain of music; cadence.
    • Dryden
      At every close she made, the attending throng / Replied, and bore the burden of the song.
  5. (music) A double bar marking the end.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Translations

Etymology 2

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

Pronunciation

  • (UK) enPR: klōs, IPA(key): /kləʊs/
  • Rhymes: -əʊs
  • (US) IPA(key): /kloʊs/
  • Rhymes: -oʊs

Adjective

close ‎(comparative closer, superlative closest)

  1. (now rare) Closed, shut.
    • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Matthew chapter 8:
      There is nothinge so close, that shall not be openned, and nothinge so hyd that shall not be knowen.
    • Dryden
      From a close bower this dainty music flowed.
    • 1847, Charlotte Brontë Jane Eyre, chapter 1:
      I mounted into the window-seat: gathering up my feet, I sat cross-legged, like a Turk; and, having drawn the red moreen curtain nearly close, I was shrined in double retirement.
  2. Narrow; confined.
    a close alley; close quarters
    • Charles Dickens
      a close prison
  3. At a little distance; near.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 7, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      […] St. Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London. Close-packed, crushed by the buttressed height of the railway viaduct, rendered airless by huge walls of factories, it at once banished lively interest from a stranger's mind and left only a dull oppression of the spirit.
    • 2013 June 1, “End of the peer show”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 71:
      Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend.
    Is your house close?‎
  4. Intimate; well-loved.
    He is a close friend.‎
    1. (law) Of a corporation or other business entity, closely held.
  5. Oppressive; without motion or ventilation; causing a feeling of lassitude.
    • Francis Bacon
      If the rooms be low-roofed, or full of windows and doors, the one maketh the air close, […] and the other maketh it exceeding unequal.
  6. (Ireland, England, Scotland, weather) Hot, humid, with no wind.
  7. (linguistics, phonetics, of a vowel) Articulated with the tongue body relatively close to the hard palate.
  8. Strictly confined; carefully guarded.
    a close prisoner
  9. (obsolete) Out of the way of observation; secluded; secret; hidden.
    • Bible, 1 Chron. xii. 1
      He yet kept himself close because of Saul.
    • Spenser
      her close intent
  10. Nearly equal; almost evenly balanced.
    a close contest
  11. Short.
    to cut grass or hair close
  12. (archaic) Dense; solid; compact.
    • John Locke
      The golden globe being put into a press, […] the water made itself way through the pores of that very close metal.
  13. (archaic) Concise; to the point.
    close reasoning
    • Dryden
      Where the original is close no version can reach it in the same compass.
  14. (dated) Difficult to obtain.
    Money is close.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Bartlett to this entry?)
  15. (dated) Parsimonious; stingy.
    • Hawthorne
      a crusty old fellow, as close as a vice
  16. Adhering strictly to a standard or original; exact.
    a close translation
    (Can we find and add a quotation of John Locke to this entry?)
  17. Accurate; careful; precise; also, attentive; undeviating; strict.
    The patient was kept under close observation.
  18. Marked, evident.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Hyponyms
Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

close ‎(plural closes)

  1. (now rare) An enclosed field.
  2. (Britain) A street that ends in a dead end.
  3. (Scotland) A very narrow alley between two buildings, often overhung by one of the buildings above the ground floor.
  4. (Scotland) The common staircase in a tenement.
  5. A cathedral close.
    • Macaulay
      closes surrounded by the venerable abodes of deans and canons.
  6. (law) The interest which one may have in a piece of ground, even though it is not enclosed.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Bouvier to this entry?)
Synonyms
Translations

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: turn · hold · cause · #418: close · England · sense · ten

Anagrams

Chinese

Etymology

Borrowing from English close.

Pronunciation

  • (Cantonese) IPA(key): /kʰlou̯s⁵⁵/

Verb

close

  1. (Cantonese) to close; to cease operation

Synonyms

French

Adjective

close

  1. feminine singular of clos

Verb

close

  1. first-person singular present subjunctive of clore
  2. third-person singular present subjunctive of clore

Participle

close

  1. feminine singular of the past participle of clore

Anagrams

Portuguese

Noun

close m (plural closes)

  1. (photography) close-up (photography in which the subject is shown at a large scale)
  2. attitude

Synonyms

Etymology

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, foreclose, 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 ‎(kleís, “bar, bolt, key”), German schließen ‎(“to close, conclude, lock”), Dutch sluiten ‎(“to close, conclude, lock”). Replaced Old English lūcan ‎(“to close, lock, enclose”).

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