The end of an activity or a period of time: "At some schools, students vote for for their favorite teachers at the close of each year."

"The singer brought the show to a close by singing her most popular song."

1. Being near in space or time; not far away: "The deadline for the report is getting closer each day."

"They weren't home yet, but they were getting much closer."

2. Being near in relationship: "Her close relatives were coming to the wedding."
3. Bound by mutual interests, loyalties, or affections; intimate: "His close friends were helping him."
4. Having little or no space between elements or parts; tight and compact: "The sweater had a close weave."
5. Being near the surface; short: "He really has a close haircut."
6. Being on the brink of: "She was close to tears when she heard the news."
7. Decided by a narrow margin; almost even: "This was a very close election."
8. Faithful to the original: "The painting was a close copy of the artist's work."
9. Rigorous; thorough: "The group paid close attention to the details of the project as a result of the close supervision of the experts."
10. Confining or narrow; crowded: "As a result of the tornado, they had to live in close quarters at the shelter."
11. Fitting tightly: "The close garments were simply too uncomfortable."
12. Lacking fresh air; stuffy: "The had to stay in small, close room."
13. Confined to specific people or groups: "Remember, this is supposed to be a close secret."
14. Strictly confined or guarded: "The police kept the robbers under close custody."
15. Secretive; reticent: "His mother was close about her personal life."
16. Giving or spending with reluctance; stingy: "They were close with their money."

1. To move something, so that an opening, a passage, or a hole is covered or blocked; to shut: "She was closing the door and locking it for the night."

"Fortunately, the door closed quietly instead of slamming and disturbing the other sleepers."

2. To bring the edges or ends of something together, or to be brought together: "He had to close his eyes and take a little nap."

"The doctor closed the wound."

3. To stop working or operating, or to shut a store or business, for a short period of time or overnight: "The manager closed and locked the door of the store for the night."
4. To come to an end, or to end something; such as, an activity, a period of time, or some spoken or written text.
5. To reduce the distance between two people or things, especially in a race or a chase.
6. To complete a transaction successfully; for example, a business deal or a house purchase.
7. To have a particular value at the end of a day's trading on a stock exchange: "The share prices closed lower in heavy trading."
8. To perform a series of operations necessary to deactivate a computer file or program and to store it for later use.
9. To bar access to: "The road was closed to traffic for repairs."
10. To fill or to stop up something: "The worker closed the cracks in the wall with plaster."
11. To bring to an end or to terminate: "He closed the bank account."
12. To join or to unite by bringing something into contact: "He closed the electrical circuit."

They were too close to the door to close it.

An escape from harm which was almost not successful: "They almost didn't get out of the burning building in time and they realized that it was a very close call."

A careful and detailed examination of something in order to get information about it: A close scrutiny of the plumbing in the apartment building revealed a defective pipe that needed to be replaced.

1. To almost do something: "They didn't win the game, but they came close to doing it."
2. To be similar to something or as good as expected: "The food comes close to tasting like chicken, but it's really fried grasshoppers."