Closed Close I Make End Eyes Closing Stop

• he closed the door firmly.
• would anyone mind if i closed the window?
• she closed the gate behind her.
• it's dark now—let's close the curtains.

close1

Verb Forms

1. to put something into a position so that it covers an opening; to get into this position
• SYNONYM shut
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/shut_2
• He closed the door firmly.
• Would anyone mind if I closed the window?
• She closed the gate behind her.
• It's dark now—let's close the curtains.
• I closed my eyes against the bright light.
• The doors open and close automatically.

Extra Examples

• She gently closed the door behind her.
• She closed her eyes and fell asleep immediately.
• He closed his ears to the noise.
• The gates can be opened and closed at the touch of a button.
2. to move the parts of something together so that it is no longer open
• SYNONYM shut
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/shut_2
• to close a book/an umbrella
• He ate greedily, without closing his mouth.
3. to make the work of a shop, etc. stop for a period of time; to not be open for people to use
• OPPOSITE open
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/open_2
• The school was closed because of the heavy snow.
• The museum has been closed for renovation.
• The road was closed to traffic for two days.
• The castle has been closed to visitors because of the royal wedding.
• What time does the bank close?
• We close for lunch between twelve and two.

Extra Examples

• Tomorrow college officially closes for the vacation.
• The museum has been temporarily closed to the public.
• On Friday, all the offices were closed for the parade.
• The shops don't close until 10pm.
• She urged them not to close their borders to refugees.
• The canal is rarely closed for repair work.
• They have closed two stations for repairs.
4. if a company, shop, etc. closes, or if you close it, it stops operating as a business
• OPPOSITE open
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/open_2
• The hospital closed at the end of last year.
• The play closed after just three nights.
• The club was closed by the police.
• All the steelworks around here were closed down in the 1980s.

Extra Examples

• It was a pity the business closed.
• They are closing their Liverpool factory.
• That factory's been closed down now.
• The plant will be closed in February with the loss of almost 400 jobs.
• The program may be forced to close due to a dramatic rent increase.
• The decision to close a business can be challenging.
• The company has announced plans to close three factories and lay off 600 workers.
5. to end or make something end
• OPPOSITE open
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/open_2
• The meeting will close at 10.00 p.m.
• The offer closes at the end of the week.
• I will close with a few words about future events.
• to close a meeting/debate
• to close a case/an investigation
• to close an account (= to stop keeping money in a bank account)
• The subject is now closed (= we will not discuss it again).

Extra Examples

• A police spokesman said that the case was now closed.
• Mr Hunt then closed the debate for the government.
• The festival closed with a rousing chorus of 'Jerusalem'.
• The police have now closed the file on him.
• Counting of votes will begin when the polls close.
• She felt she had closed that chapter in her life.
6. to arrange and settle a business deal
• Right now we are trying to close the deal with our sponsors.
7. to put an end to a mistake in something that causes a security risk or gives somebody an unfair advantage
• The company acted quickly to close a security hole in its online systems.
• Congressional leaders have agreed to close a loophole that gave small businesses a big tax break for buying SUVs.
8. to stop using a computer program or file and put it away
• Once I got a few apps closed, it started working again.
9. to be worth a particular amount at the end of the day’s business
• Shares in the company closed at 265p.
• closing prices
10. to make the distance or difference between two people or things smaller; to become smaller or narrower
• These measures are aimed at closing the gap between rich and poor.
• The gap between the two top teams is closing all the time.
11. to cover somebody/something and hold them/it, or to make something do this
• She closed her hand over his.
• Her hand closed over his.
12. to make an electrical circuit continuous
• When a finger touches the panel, it closes the circuit.
13. to stop doing something because you no longer believe you will be successful or will find a solution
• The police have closed the book on the case (= they have stopped trying to solve it).
14. to make it unlikely that something will happen
• She was careful not to close the door on the possibility of further talks.
15. to stop trading
• The factory closed its doors for the last time in 2009.
• The company closed shop and left the US last year.
16. to refuse to think about something as a possibility
17. if a group of people close ranks, they work closely together to defend themselves, especially when they are being criticized
• It's not unusual for the police to close ranks when one of their officers is being investigated.
18. if soldiers close ranks, they move closer together in order to defend themselves
19. to refuse to listen to something
• She decided to shut her ears to all the rumours.
20. to pretend that you have not noticed something so that you do not have to deal with it
• You can't just close your eyes to his violence.
• They seem intent on shutting their eyes to the problems of pollution.
21. very easily, without thinking about it
• I've made this trip so often, I could do it with my eyes shut.

Word Origin

• Middle English: from Old French clos-, stem of clore, from Latin claudere ‘to shut’.