Close
/kloʊz/
Definitions
4 meaningsTo bring together the parts of; to obstruct the opening or passage of; to shut.
/kloʊz/
To shut or obstruct an opening.
He closed the window.
💡 Simply: To shut something, like a door or a book. Think of closing your eyes to sleep.
👶 For kids: To shut something.
More Examples
The shop closes at 5 pm.
How It's Used
"Please close the door behind you."
"The company will close its factory next month."
To finish or conclude something.
/kloʊz/
To bring to an end; to complete.
Let's close this meeting.
💡 Simply: To end something. Like closing a chapter in a book or closing a meeting.
👶 For kids: To finish something.
More Examples
They closed the account.
How It's Used
"We need to close the deal by Friday."
"The school year will close in June."
Near in distance or time.
/kloʊs/
Near in space or time.
The exam is close.
💡 Simply: Something that's nearby, not far away. Like a close friend who lives next door.
👶 For kids: Near.
More Examples
The restaurant is close to the park.
How It's Used
"The store is close to my house."
"The plane is making its close approach."
The end of a business day or transaction.
/kloʊz/
The end of a period of time.
The market close was volatile.
💡 Simply: The end of something, especially a business day. Like the closing time at a store.
👶 For kids: The end.
More Examples
The closing time is 10 pm.
How It's Used
"The market close is at 4 pm."
Idioms & expressions
close call
A situation where something bad almost happened.
"That was a close call! We almost crashed."
From Old English *clūsian, meaning "to shut, enclose".
The word 'close' has consistently been used in English since Old English times, maintaining a significant role in everyday conversation and writing.
Memory tip
Imagine closing a door – it's shutting something.
Word Origin
"To shut, enclose"