Definition of close2

close2adjective

đóng2

/kləʊs//kləʊs/

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French clos (as noun and adjective), from Latin clausum ‘enclosure’ and clausus ‘closed’, past participle of claudere.

near

near in space or time

Example:
  • I had no idea the beach was so close.
  • Our new house is close to the school.
  • The children are close to each other in age.
  • She is looking for a job closer to home.
  • The tables were too close together.
  • Their birthdays are very close together.
  • This is the closest we can get to the beach by car.
  • We all have to work in close proximity (= near each other).
  • Victory was tantalizingly close.
relationship

knowing somebody very well and liking them very much

Example:
  • Jo is a very close friend.
  • She is very close to her father.
  • She and her father are very close.
  • We're a very close family.
Extra examples:
  • The two sisters seemed very close.
  • He was quite close to his older brother.

near in family relationship

Example:
  • close relatives, such as your mother and father, and brothers and sisters
  • The groom and his close family took their places.

Related words and phrases

very involved in the work or activities of somebody else, usually seeing and talking to them regularly

Example:
  • She has kept in close contact with the victims' families.
  • They have forged a close working relationship.
  • a retired army general with close ties to the military
  • The college has close links with many other institutions.
  • We work in close association with the ministry.
  • Their survival depends on close cooperation.
  • Even their closest allies were shocked by the move.
  • He is one of the prime minister's closest advisers.
  • We are in close touch with the police.
careful

careful and complete

Example:
  • Take a close look at this photograph.
  • On closer examination, the painting proved to be a fake.
  • A close inspection reveals stunning attention to detail.
  • Pay close attention to what I am telling you.
almost/likely

almost in a particular state; likely to do something soon

Example:
  • The airline is close to collapse.
  • He was close to tears.
  • The species is dangerously close to extinction.
  • The new library is close to completion.
  • She knew she was close to death.
  • We are close to signing the agreement.
similar

very similar to something else or to an amount

Example:
  • There's a close resemblance between them (= they look very similar).
  • This movie is about as close to perfect as you could wish for.
  • Their chances of winning are close to zero.
  • His feeling for her was close to hatred.
  • The total was close to 20% of the workforce.
  • It was the closest thing to a home she had ever known.
  • We tried to match the colours, but this is the closest we could get.
Extra examples:
  • The unemployment rate was close to 20% of the workforce.
  • The book bears a close resemblance to her earlier work.
competition/election, etc.

won by only a small amount or distance

Example:
  • a close match/contest/election
  • It was pretty close but we lost.
  • Our team came a close second (= nearly won).
  • No one expected such a close finish.
  • The game was closer than the score suggests.
  • The result is going to be too close to call (= either side may win).
Extra examples:
  • The organizers of the race are predicting a close finish.
  • It's a desperately close race—I can't quite see who is ahead.
  • The California election looks too close to call as voters go to the polls.
  • I think it's going to be close.
almost bad result

used to describe something, usually a dangerous or unpleasant situation, that nearly happens

Example:
  • Phew! That was close—that car nearly hit us.
  • We caught the bus in the end but it was close (= we nearly missed it).
without space

with little or no space in between

Example:
  • over 1 000 pages of close print
  • The soldiers advanced in close formation.
cut short

cut very short, near to the skin

Example:
  • a close haircut/shave
guarded

carefully guarded

Example:
  • The donor's identity is a close secret.
  • She was kept under close arrest.
weather/room

warm in an uncomfortable way because there does not seem to be enough fresh air

Example:
  • It’s very close today—I think there’s going to be a storm.

Related words and phrases

private

not willing to give personal information about yourself

Example:
  • He was close about his past.
mean

not liking to spend money

Example:
  • She's always been very close with her money.
phonetics

produced with part of the tongue in the highest possible position without limiting the flow of air

Related words and phrases

Idioms

at/from close quarters
very near
  • fighting at close quarters
    • at/from close range
    from only a short distance away
  • The president was shot at close range.
  • She scored from close range.
    • (close/near) at hand
    close to you in time or distance
  • Help was at hand.
  • The property is ideally located with all local amenities close at hand.
    • close, but no cigar
    (informal)used to tell somebody that their attempt or guess was almost but not quite successful
    a close call/shave
    (informal)a situation in which you only just manage to avoid an accident, etc.
  • He had a close shave when his brakes failed on the mountain road.
    • a close thing
    a situation in which success or failure is equally possible
  • We got him out in the end, but it was a close thing.
    • close/dear/near to somebody’s heart
    having a lot of importance and interest for somebody
    close to home
    if a remark or topic of discussion is close to home, it is accurate or connected with you in a way that makes you uncomfortable or embarrassed
  • Her remarks about me were embarrassingly close to home.
    • that involves somebody directly
  • The next year tragedy struck much closer to home.
    • keep a close eye/watch on somebody/something
    to watch somebody/something carefully
  • Over the next few months we will keep a close eye on sales.
    • too close for comfort
    (figurative)so near that it is uncomfortable or dangerous
  • When she leaves the stage, the fans can get a little too close for comfort.
  • They got the win but it was a tight match, definitely too close for comfort.
    • up close and personal
    physically very close to somebody; getting to know them well
  • Get up close and personal with the koalas at the San Diego Zoo.
  • For the last 30 years, I’ve been up close and personal with people whose lives were in crisis.