Meaning of close In English

• 0 to (cause something to) change from being open to not being open:

  • Could you close the door/window please?

  • Close your eyes - I've got a surprise for you.

  • The banks had closed (to customers) so I couldn't get any money out.

  • The museum closes at 5.30.

  • We can't get a drink! It's after closing time.

• 1 to (cause something to) end:

  • The play closed with the tragic death of both hero and heroine.

  • She closed the meeting with a short speech.

  • The pound closed at (= was worth) $1.47 at the end of the day's trading.

  • I closed that bank account when I came to London.

  • The factory closed over ten years ago.

  • We closed a deal with a major supermarket.

• 2 the end of something, or the time when you end it:

  • I tried to bring the conversation to a close.

  • "Let's draw this meeting to a close, gentlemen," said the chairman.

• 3 a road, usually with private houses, that vehicles can only enter from one end:

  • He lives at 83 Barker Close.

• 4 having direct family connections or shared beliefs, support, and sympathy:

  • There weren't many people at the funeral - just close family/relatives.

  • They're a worrying political party because of their close links/ties with terrorist groups.

  • In those early months, there's a very close bond between mother and child.

  • a close community

  • Mira is one of my closest friends.

  • Her relationship isn't good with her father, but she's very close to her mother.

  • My brother and I have become much closer over the years.

• 5 looking at or listening to someone or something very carefully:

  • Police are paying close attention to the situation.

  • Take a closer look at this photograph.

• 6 unwilling to talk about things to other people:

  • He's so close about his past - it seems like he's hiding something.

• 7 used to describe weather or air conditions in which it is difficult to breathe and it is uncomfortably warm:

  • Can I open the window? It's very close in here.

• 8 not far in position or time:

  • Don't get too close to that dog, Rosie.

  • I hate people standing too close to me.

  • As Christmas gets closer, the shops get more and more crowded.

  • Emma looked close to tears (= almost going to cry).

  • Shall we call in on Miranda? You know she lives quite close by.

• 9 having only a small difference:

  • The election results were so close they had to vote again.

  • He came second in the race, but it was very close.

  • The youngest boys are so close in age they look like twins.

  • Both children bear a very close resemblance to their father.

  • I think there are close on three million unemployed at present.

• 10 near in position, time, or condition:

  • The store was close by, so they decided to walk.

  • It’s close to 7 o’clock – we’d better leave now.

  • The child moved closer to his mother.

  • She was very close to death for awhile.

• 11 connected or involved in strong relationship with someone:

  • Charmaine is my closest friend.

  • Joyce and I used to be close, but now we seldom see each other.

• 12 similar; of the same type:

  • Your computer is pretty close to the one I have.

• 13 giving your full attention to something so that you notice its details:

  • I wasn’t the one driving, so I wasn’t paying close attention to the route we took.

• 14 very warm, with no movement of air:

  • It was uncomfortably close in the gym.

• 15 to change from being open to not being open, or to cause this to happen:

  • [ T ] Come in and close the door.

  • [ T ] Because of an accident, police closed (= blocked) two lanes of the expressway.

  • [ T ] Grace closed her eyes to think.

• 16 to end or stop operating, or to cause this to happen:

  • [ T ] Authorities closed the aging nuclear plant.

  • [ I ] After a run of three months, the show closes on Saturday.

  • [ I ] The store closes at 9 tonight.

• 17 to make a financial or business arrangement complete:

  • [ T ] The manufacturer is closing a deal to sell its boating division.

• 18 if a shop, restaurant, or public place closes or someone closes it, it stops being open for business at the end of the day, week, etc.:

  • The store closes at 5.30.

  • close (sth) to sb The banks had closed to customers so I couldn't pay the money in.

  • We usually close the bar around midnight.

• 19 if a business closes or is closed, it stops operating permanently:

  • The factory closed with the loss of 250 jobs.

  • The organization will be forced to let staff go and close many of its offices.

• 20 if a market, currency, share, etc. closes, it stops trading or being traded at the end of the working day:

  • The company released its statement after the market closed on Friday.

  • close up/down The Dow Jones closed up 94.90 at 10,623.60.

  • close at sth The pound closed at $1.47, down from $1.49 yesterday.

• 21 to finish, or to make something end:

  • At 11.45 the Chair closed the meeting.

  • close (sth) with sth She closed with a few remarks about the future.

• 22 if something closes or is closed, there is no longer an opportunity to become involved because a particular date has been reached:

  • Applications for the post close on Wednesday 14 September.

  • Booking for the course is now closed.

• 23 if a computer program or a window on a computer screen closes, or if you close it, it stops operating because you tell it to:

  • Click on the 'X' to close the window and exit the application.

  • This file won't close.

• 24 to remove all the money from a bank account and stop using it permanently:

  • I closed that account when I moved to the UK.

• 25 to complete a successful business arrangement with someone:

  • The company plans to sell its generic drug unit and expects to close the deal in late March.

• 26 the end of something:

  • bring/draw sth to a close I tried to bring the meeting to a close.

  • at the close of sth At the close of the financial year, the balance amounted to $418 million.

• 27 the end of a day's trading on a market:

  • the close of business/trading His exit was announced after the close of trading.

  • at the close The IT services specialist was down 7.25p to 196.5p at the close.

• 28 the end of a working day or of a day's trading:

  • The bank said that a check paid in on Monday cannot be bounced after close of play on Thursday.

  • at/by (the) close of play The share price had almost doubled to 95.5p at close of play on Friday.