close

If one thing or person is close to another, there is only a very small distance between them.

You say that people are close to each other when they like each other very much and know each other very well.

Your close relatives are the members of your family who are most directly related to you, for example your parents and your brothers or sisters.

A close ally or partner of someone knows them well and is very involved in their work.

Close contact or co-operation involves seeing or communicating with someone often.

If there is a close connection or resemblance between two things, they are strongly connected or are very similar.

Close inspection or observation of something is careful and thorough.

A close competition or election is won or seems likely to be won by only a small amount.

If you are close to something or if it is close, it is likely to happen or come soon. If you are close to doing something, you are likely to do it soon.

If something is close or comes close to something else, it almost is, does, or experiences that thing.

If the atmosphere somewhere is close, it is unpleasantly warm with not enough air.

Close down means the same as close.

If a group of people close in on a person or place, they come nearer and nearer to them and gradually surround them.

If someone closes up a building, they shut it completely and securely, often because they are going away.

If an opening, gap, or something hollow closes up, or if you close it up, it becomes closed or covered.

Something that is close by or close at hand is near to you.

Close to a particular amount or distance means slightly less than that amount or distance.

If you look at something close up, you look at it when you are very near to it.

When you close something such as a door or lid or when it closes, it moves so that a hole, gap, or opening is covered.

When you close something such as an open book or umbrella, you move the different parts of it together.

If you close something such as a computer file or window, you give the computer an instruction to remove it from the screen.

When you close your eyes or your eyes close, your eyelids move downward, so that you can no longer see.

When a place closes or is closed, work or activity stops there for a short period.

If a place such as a factory, shop, or school closes, or if it is closed, all work or activity stops there permanently.

To close a road or border means to block it in order to prevent people from using it.

To close a conversation, event, or matter means to bring it to an end or to complete it.

If you close a bank account, you take all your money out of it and inform the bank that you will no longer be using the account.

On the stock market or the currency markets, if a share price or a currency closes at a particular value, that is its value at the end of the day's business.

If you are closing on someone or something that you are following, you are getting nearer and nearer to them.