I.verbCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a careful/close analysis
▪ Students learn to make a close analysis of the texts.
a close check (=a careful one)
▪ His teacher was keeping a close check on his progress.
a close circle (=in which the people know each other very well)
▪ He cultivated a close circle of musical acquaintances.
a close companion
▪ At school, we were close companions for several years.
a close copy (=a good copy)
▪ It is a close copy of a bronze figure found in Iceland.
a close examination (=very careful and detailed)
▪ A close examination of the figures revealed many discrepancies.
a close finish (=an end of a race where two competitors are very close to each other)
a close friendship
▪ Ron had formed a close relationship with Andrea.
a close partnership
▪ The two companies have built up a close partnership over the past four years.
a close relation (=a brother, parent, aunt etc )
▪ Many of her close relations live nearby.
a close relationship
▪ The evidence points to a close relationship between poverty and disease.
a close relative (=a brother, parent, aunt etc)
▪ He lost several close relatives in the war.
a close resemblance
▪ The vase bore a close resemblance to one owned by my mother.
a close/close-knit/tight-knit community (=where all the people know each other)
▪ I live in a close-knit community where there's lots of support.
a closed circle (=not open to other people)
▪ He didn’t have much experience of life beyond the closed circle of his family.
a close/great/strong similarity
▪ There was a close similarity between his and Smith's views on education.
a close/strong bond
▪ A strong bond had developed between them.
a close/strong connection
▪ the close connection between maths and physics
a door opens/closes/shuts
▪ We were still waiting for the train doors to open.
a good/close friend (=one of the friends you like the most)
▪ She’s a good friend of mine.
a good/close/reasonable approximation
a play closes (=its performances stop)
▪ The play closes on Sunday, so don’t miss it!
a private/closed meeting (=that only a few people are allowed to go to)
▪ The senator attended a private meeting with the president.
a road is closed
▪ The mountain road was closed by snow.
a strong/close alliance
▪ He forged a strong alliance between his state and the church.
a strong/high/close correlation
▪ They found evidence of a high correlation between drinking and violence.
an opening/closing ceremony (=at the beginning or end of a special event)
▪ I stayed for the closing ceremony.
be close to an agreement (=have almost reached an agreement)
▪ Management and unions are close to an agreement about pay.
be close to/on the verge of tears (=be almost crying)
▪ He could see that May was close to tears.
be/come close to the truth
▪ The book comes a little too close to the truth for their liking.
bridge/close/narrow the gap (=reduce the amount or importance of a difference)
▪ The book aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
▪ The policies are designed to close the gap between rich and poor.
bring sth to a close (=especially a meeting)
▪ At last the meeting was brought to a close.
close a file
▪ You may need to close the file and restart the computer.
close a meeting (=end it)
▪ He closed the meeting by saying, ‘I think we have made great progress.’
close association
▪ his close association with the Green Party
close behind/not far behind
▪ He set off down the road with the rest of us following close behind.
close combat (=in which you are very near your opponent)
▪ Swords and spears were used for close combat.
close consultation (=in which people, groups etc discuss something carefully together)
▪ The changes followed close consultation with government officials.
close contact (=communicating with sb often)
▪ I like to stay in close contact with my parents.
close cooperation
▪ We work together in close cooperation to provide the best possible service.
close encounter (=a frightening situation in which you get too close to something)
▪ a close encounter with a snake
close link
▪ the close link between teacher and student
close reading (=when you read it very carefully)
▪ a close reading of the text
close season
close the border (=prevent people from crossing)
▪ The government moved quickly to close the border.
close (=with each team playing equally well)
▪ Germany won the match, although it was close.
close (=one which someone wins by a very small amount)
▪ The race was a close contest between two evenly matched crews.
close
▪ Many Japanese favor closer relations with the U.S.
close
▪ Laura had a very close relationship with her grandmother.
close/careful supervision
▪ Children were allowed out only under close supervision.
close/careful/detailed observation
▪ A lot of useful knowledge is gained by careful observation of the world around you.
close/close-knit family (=spending a lot of time together and supporting each other)
▪ Laura's family are very close.
close/conclude a dealformal (= agree a deal formally)
▪ A deal between the two companies has now been concluded.
closed captioned
closed circuit television
closed economy
closed season
closed shop
close/distant cousin
▪ The Alaskan brown bear is a close cousin of the grizzly bear.
closed/shut
▪ All the windows were closed.
close/intense scrutiny (=very careful scrutiny)
▪ Both these areas of law have come under close scrutiny by the courts.
close/plug a loophole (=change something so that there is no longer a loophole)
▪ The president is eager to close tax loopholes for foreign companies.
close/shut a drawer
▪ She shut the drawer and locked it with a small key.
close/shut a gate
▪ Please close the gate.
close/shut a window
▪ She shut the window firmly.
close/shut (down) a factory
▪ The factory was closed down in 2006.
close/shut your eyes
▪ Joe closed his eyes and tried to get back to sleep.
closest allies
▪ Ridley was one of the Queen’s closest allies.
close/strong ties
▪ He had developed close ties with many Republican governors.
close/tight
▪ Most people were predicting a close race.
closing date
▪ The closing date for applications is 6 August.
closing time
Come...closer
▪ Come a bit closer and you’ll be able to see better.
darkness closes inliterary (= it becomes darker outside)
▪ The rain turned to snow and darkness closed in.
draw/close/pull the curtains (=close them)
▪ The room was dark because the curtains were drawn.
good/close/effective etc working relationship
▪ We have a close working relationship with other voluntary groups.
have sth open/closed/on etc
▪ I had my eyes half-closed.
▪ Janice likes to have the window open.
▪ She had her back to the door.
hold sb close/tightly (=with your arms around someone)
▪ Max held her close and wiped away her tears.
in close proximity (=very near to each other)
▪ Here the rich and the poor live in close proximity .
in close touch with
▪ A head-teacher needs to remain in close touch with teachers’ everyday concerns.
in close touch
▪ I’m in close touch with Anna.
in quick/rapid/close succession (=quickly one after the other)
▪ He fired two shots in quick succession.
on closer examination
▪ On closer examination, I could see a slight crack in the window.
open/close a bag
▪ The customs officer opened my bag.
open/close/shut the door
▪ I opened the door and Dad was standing there.
▪ Can you close the door as you go out?
open/shut/close your mouth
▪ He opened his mouth wide so the doctor could examine his throat.
perilously close
▪ Karpov, the champion, came perilously close to losing.
sb's closest competitor (also sb's nearest competitor British English) (= sb's main competitor)
▪ He had five times as many votes as his nearest competitor.
sb's nearest/closest rival (=the one that is closest to beating them)
▪ She finished 7.1 seconds ahead of her nearest rival.
sb’s eyes close
▪ She let her eyes close for just a moment.
shut/close with a click
▪ The front door shut with a click.
the closing date (=the last day you can officially do something)
▪ The closing date for applications is April 30th.
the end/close of the century
▪ He was writing his books towards the end of the 19th century.
the last/latter/closing years of sth
▪ He changed his opinion during the last years of his life.
the later/final/closing stages
▪ She was well cared for during the final stages of her life.
the nearest/closest equivalent
▪ The corner store was the closest equivalent we had to a supermarket when I was young.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
book
▪ He closed the book and slipped it into a polythene bag.
▪ Before every architect closes this book in disgust, let me explain.
▪ The Shoah will never be a closed book.
▪ The goal of reading is to be done with it, to be able to close the book and play.
▪ Southworth closed the accounts book, a smile of satisfaction twisting his lips.
▪ I closed the book, touching it gently.
▪ And, by definitively closing the book on the past, the language of socialism also remains trapped in Stalinism's wreckage.
▪ She closed the book and peered up at him over the frame of her reading glasses.
border
▪ Neighbouring countries have closed their borders.
▪ Instead, we latch on to shortsighted, shallow solutions, like closing our borders and becoming isolationists.
▪ Will his ideology make him close the border, or will economic self-interest keep it open, at least for a time?
▪ Will the West cling to the idea of universal worth while selfishly consuming Arab oil wealth and closing its borders to Arabs?
deal
▪ I enjoy closing a deal 5a.
▪ He talks and talks, compromises and compromises, until he closes a deal.
▪ In the heart of the city, Bob Scott is further still from closing a deal.
▪ Many will offer low-interest loans, tax breaks or whatever else it takes to close a deal.
▪ Novell expects to close the deal in the first quarter of 1993.
▪ Grace said it expects to close the deal in the quarter beginning July 1.
▪ When agreement is reached close the deal quickly and immediately confirm the agreed terms in writing in a heads of agreement.
▪ They hope to close the deal by year-end, but that may be too optimistic.
door
▪ She stalked away from the front door and it closed softly behind him.
▪ Harriet waited until the door had closed after her and flicked the button, feeling oddly apprehensive.
▪ They were waiting for him, and the bedroom door was closed.
▪ The door was closed, the curtains drawn against the morning sunlight.
▪ A door closed, the window panes shook.
▪ The back door closes, swings shut, drives me to place myself inside it.
▪ There was a single narrow window opening on a shaded garden and when the door was closed it was difficult to see.
file
▪ Asa Vaughan closed the file and looked up.
▪ Zaborski closed the file and pressed a button under his desk.
▪ When I finally closed the file, it was dark outside.
▪ Li Shai Tung closed the file with a sigh.
▪ Hilary Robarts, the Acting Administrative Officer, had already closed her file.
▪ A statement used to close a data file.
▪ You should also close data files before chaining another program.
gap
▪ But it has closed the gap slightly.
▪ In recent years, California sparkling wines have been closing the style gap as well.
▪ With Lauda sidelined, the way was open for Hunt to close the gap even further.
▪ Women are closing the math gap.
▪ If Jackie were to close the gap, it would have to be at the Nürburgring.
▪ That might close the gap between media and players.
▪ He is notable for closing the usual gap between commercial and personal work.
▪ With a few exceptions, it was not until the 1960s that large companies in Britain began to close the gap.
gate
▪ In 1963, the Bureau closed the gates of Glen Canyon Dam.
▪ Once I was outside, I left the engine running and ran back to close the gate.
▪ Development, so denied, often results in closed gates, bad affect, boredom, and mindlessness among students and teachers.
▪ The Rifleman ducked under the arch, then waited as Harper closed the two heavy gates.
▪ The closed gate suddenly seemed miles away.
▪ They could close the gates and have him bottled up.
▪ Affect is the gatekeeper and determines whether the gates are open or closed.
market
▪ The market says close the pits.
▪ Quantum announced its results after the market closed.
▪ When the market closed in 1974, the piazza narrowly survived being turned into an office development.
▪ Microsoft released the earnings after the market closed.
▪ The announcement came minutes before the market closed.
▪ The bond market was closed yesterday for the Martin Luther King holiday.
▪ If the futures price falls below the lower limit of the band, the market will close limit-down.
▪ The results were released after the stock market closed.
mind
▪ The humiliation of her position was boundless, and she tried to close her mind to her awful predicament.
▪ My eyes are closed but my mind is open.
▪ Bambi's closed her mind to it.
▪ Memories of her grandmother's judgements obtruded themselves and she closed her mind against them.
▪ She stretched out on the bed, closing her mind to the sounds and waited.
▪ She had immediately closed her mind to all thought, not even realising how tightly she had been gripping fitzAlan's hand.
▪ I closed my ears and tried to close my mind to what was happening.
mouth
▪ Because of its reduced jaws, its teeth often fail to meet properly when the mouth is closed.
▪ Cut small pieces and chew methodically with your mouth totally closed.
▪ His mouth remained closed in favour of the second mouth conveniently nearer the lungs.
▪ Rin Tin Tin barked in sync, but the cowboys kept talking long after their mouths were closed.
▪ Harriet pressed a hand to her mouth and closed her eyes.
▪ Glover opened his mouth and then closed it.
plant
▪ The group is closing the St Austell plant despite recent capital investment and numerous employment initiatives.
▪ Should you close an antiquated plant, retool it, or sell it?
▪ Do firms close their branch plants before their headquarters?
▪ The engineering firm, Meco is to close its plant at Ashchurch near Tewkesbury, making around 350 staff redundant.
▪ Tavlin also speculated there may be cost savings from closing manufacturing plants.
▪ Anheuser-Busch even threatened to close its St Louis plant if the tax measure passed, though nobody believed that.
▪ They closed a few plants and decided to use the idle machinery to make plastic chips for cigarette filters.
school
▪ I will attempt to do this with reference to the issue of the social consequences of closing primary schools in rural areas.
▪ The giggling spread like wildfire, and eventually forced the closing of some schools.
▪ Come holiday time, Stanley closed the school and was off north quicker than you could say algebra.
▪ In 1989 the town had voted down a petition to close the school and bus the seventeen Granville students to Rochester Elementary.
▪ Everywhere you look there are operations cancelled, old people's homes closed down, and schools struggling to cope.
▪ People were trapped in elevators, businesses closed early, and schools sent students home.
▪ Mary Read closed the school after providing one final line-up in the Princetown Follies in 1935.
▪ I have suggested that many people believe that there is a valid way of life argument against closing any rural primary school.
shop
▪ Mr Evans closed the shop for an extra half hour and brought out a bottle of sherry.
▪ And retailers, caught betwixt the two, were perplexed and losing money, if not closing up shop for good.
▪ Arthur Davidson has closed his London antique shop of that name under pressure of mounting debt.
▪ Ezra hurried by the closed shops toward the river; back along Canal Street to the Hotel Rehoboth.
▪ At lunch-time she closed the shop for an hour or longer, and shut up at five-thirty.
▪ It was at ten minutes to nine when she decided to close up the shop.
▪ Surely they must be about to close the bomb shop down.
window
▪ She would have closed the window, except that then Anna would probably be unable to sleep for the heat.
▪ Billy closed the window and hid the sticky spoon.
▪ Here, be a sport, could you close that window?
▪ The warmth inside made them lively, and they started bouncing against the closed windows.
▪ Why didn't you just say no and close the window?
▪ Faintly, through the closed window, I could hear the barking of Angus.
▪ Stopped Thousands of residents were ordered to stay indoors and close all windows before the alert was finally called off.
▪ I close the window again with a smug smile on my face, and wait for the next battalion of eager buzzers.
■ VERB
force
▪ They've been transferred from Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon, where hospital managers have been forced to close three operating theatres.
▪ None of these factors actually forced the school to close, Olson later told Duberman.
▪ The consumer spending crisis has forced many women to close down their businesses.
▪ The giggling spread like wildfire, and eventually forced the closing of some schools.
▪ Read in studio Former drug abusers fear addicts could die if a rehabilitation centre is forced to close.
▪ The hospital claims that would mean 20 job losses, forcing the unit to close.
▪ Her jaw clenches as if she has to force it open and closed to get out each word.
open
▪ There are tales of clanking chains and doors which open and close of their own volition.
▪ I heard Ted in the bedroom, a drawer opening and closing.
▪ Any campaign to attract students to history should emphasise how its study can open many doors while closing few.
▪ People chattering, doors opening and closing, loud male greetings, the level of noise rising.
▪ There was the rattle and heavy clunk of a fridge door being opened and closed.
▪ Principals in New York can not tell school custodians when to open and close their schools-much less discipline or fire them.
▪ It is this spirit and this very music which opens and closes Janácek's opera From the house of the dead.
▪ The opening closed, they A deeper, groaning.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(hard/hot/close) on sb's heels
(hard/hot/close) on the heels of sth
▪ Critique followed hot on the heels of this pioneering work.
▪ On the heels of this came Mr J. to tell us that young Mrs P. had had her thighbone crushed.
▪ Then it seemed that the consummation would follow soon on the heels of its inauguration.
▪ With another couple of laps he might have finished close on the heels of the two Dunlops.
a close shave
▪ And so we all had a close shave once a term.
▪ Had a close shave by the looks of you.
▪ He seemed pale and in need of a closer shave.
▪ I had to rinse quite often to get rid of debris, but it did give a close shave.
▪ Now the challenge is complete, he is considering a close shave, probably in the name of charity.
a closed book
▪ But your own past can be a closed book, even at fourteen.
▪ He is holding a closed book, signifying a mystery, possibly a stage in the alchemical process.
▪ I can not believe that it can be right that this late in the game Poetry is still a closed book.
▪ I tell myself it's a closed book, but my cover story becomes an old man's compensation.
▪ Linear preoccupation in the past remains a closed book to modern understanding.
▪ The highly organised St Stephen's Society programme which she now leads was at that time a closed book to her!
▪ The kitchenette is a closed book.
▪ The Shoah will never be a closed book.
a closed book (to sb)
▪ But your own past can be a closed book, even at fourteen.
▪ He is holding a closed book, signifying a mystery, possibly a stage in the alchemical process.
▪ I can not believe that it can be right that this late in the game Poetry is still a closed book.
▪ I tell myself it's a closed book, but my cover story becomes an old man's compensation.
▪ Linear preoccupation in the past remains a closed book to modern understanding.
▪ The highly organised St Stephen's Society programme which she now leads was at that time a closed book to her!
▪ The kitchenette is a closed book.
▪ The Shoah will never be a closed book.
a closed set (of sth)
behind closed doors
▪ Although America is a democracy, a lot of key decisions are made behind closed doors by unelected advisers.
▪ The board members met behind closed doors to discuss the deal.
▪ And, unlike most other House panels, the ethics committee conducts virtually all of its business behind closed doors.
▪ As the jurors deliberated behind closed doors, the judge huddled with lawyers from both sides in his chambers.
▪ Real's punishment was to play subsequent matches behind closed doors.
▪ Schmoke spent most of his time behind closed doors.
▪ The hearings are behind closed doors, Newsweek says, and it has not discovered the names of the companies implicated.
▪ We think, but we don't really know what they were saying to each other behind closed doors.
can do sth with your eyes shut/closed
close to the bone
close to the mark
close/dear to sb's heart
▪ His latest challenge is on a smaller scale, but it's much closer to his heart.
▪ I hold you near, close to my heart, There's so much for me to give, Where to begin?
▪ It is one that lies close to the heart of any study of the interaction of religion and society.
▪ One subject is obviously dear to Schofield's heart - the captaincy of Great Britain and Leeds.
▪ Other songs: Include Stainsby Girls, inspired by a Middlesbrough school close to his heart.
▪ The electrification of the network, a topic close to Lenin's heart, was discussed in the pages of Gudok.
▪ The President would go to Williamsburg, Virginia, a place close to his heart.
close/packed/crowded etc together
▪ The Beastline were standing close together, silhouetted against the sky.
▪ The main street in Lincoln is narrow, and the little houses are close together.
▪ These horses show relaxed, peaceful outlines, with friends standing particularly close together.
▪ They stood close together in silence, listening.
▪ Though they are close together on the couch, there is in fact a chasm between them.
▪ We draw close together to complete our plans.
close/shut your ears to sth
▪ At first, I closed my ears to what I did not want to hear.
▪ Claudia sank down on to her bed and tried to shut her ears to the sound of him in the next room.
▪ Don't close your ears to the world and don't give up.
▪ He tried to close his ears to the plea.
▪ Rincewind tried to shut his ears to the grating voice beside him.
▪ She heard the boys hurling abuse at her, shouting to her to stop, but she shut her ears to them.
▪ She wanted to close her ears to it.
▪ Sometimes she even managed to shut her ears to the arguments going on around her.
close/shut your eyes to sth
▪ We can't close our eyes to the fact that our town has a gang problem.
▪ I've closed my eyes to your activities long enough.
▪ If we must sometimes close our eyes to open them in the myth dimension, so be it.
▪ On a sob Ruth swallowed hard and closed her eyes to the burning sun overhead.
▪ On the other hand the very same development increases their tendency to close their eyes to the future.
▪ Prayer May we never become so worldly that we close our eyes to the miracle and mystery of life.
▪ The need to push came again, and Jane closed her eyes to concentrate.
▪ They could not shut their eyes to the ugly and degrading side of wine-drinking and see only the delightful side.
▪ Turning off the light, she slid back under the covers and closed her eyes to sleep fitfully until noon.
keep (close) tabs on sb/sth
▪ He keeps tabs on everyone in the building.
▪ A psychologist will keep tabs on teams of youngsters and will stop the operation if they show signs of stress.
▪ About the world Lenny Wilkens has been keeping tabs on world events, and one thing is clear.
▪ Although so little was heard from them, those who kept tabs on them were convinced that they were slowly fading away.
▪ Anne Dickson, a local politician, said people had been keeping tabs on Hamilton for years.
▪ But trappers will keep tabs on the extra traps until February, officials said.
▪ If she asked, he would accuse her of nagging, of wanting to keep tabs on him.
▪ They patrol land and keep tabs on the gangs after tip offs from gamekeepers and farmers.
▪ We try to keep close tabs on our boys in blue.
move in/close in for the kill
play/keep your cards close to your chest
shut/close the door on sth
▪ A loss in this election will not necessarily close the door on the campaign.
▪ Come in, lads, come in and shut the door on the fog.
▪ Even so, Wickham was not ready to shut the door on the possibility.
▪ Imagine asking that they close the door on me so I can see what it feels like.
▪ It watched her, unwinking, until she reached the room behind the shop and shut the door on its crimson gaze.
▪ Lucker murmurs something to Jasper and leads him away closing the door on me.
▪ She closed the door on them.
▪ The previous owner had used a bathroom off one of the bedrooms as storage and simply closed the door on it.
shut/close the stable door after the horse has bolted
too close/near for comfort
▪ At times, the similarities are too close for comfort, edging towards the derivative.
▪ But our last memory was of a nightingale pair, singing in competition in territories perhaps too close for comfort.
▪ Cross-addictions may be hotly denied because the subject matter may for some be too close for comfort.
▪ In a wave trough I caught a glimpse of a coral head to port: a little too close for comfort.
▪ Lightning dipped and veered in a manner which was far too close for comfort.
▪ Richard, and you quite see why, finds economy airline seats too close for comfort.
▪ The movement brought him too close for comfort.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Close all applications before shutting down your computer.
▪ Close the curtains - it's getting dark.
▪ After 85 years, the local newspaper closed down last month.
▪ Ann closed her book and stood up.
▪ Do you mind if I close the window?
▪ Hundreds of timber mills have been closed since World War II.
▪ Most of the stores close at 6:30.
▪ Okay, close your eyes and make a wish.
▪ She took the necklace out of the box and closed the lid.
▪ The cut should close up within a few days.
▪ The door closed silently behind Mariko.
▪ The hotel is closed in the winter.
▪ The legislation closes a lot of loopholes in the tax law.
▪ The novel closes when the family reunites in Prague.
▪ The special offer for tickets closes June 3.
▪ WalMart shares closed only 4 cents down.
▪ What time does the mall close tonight?
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Anheuser-Busch even threatened to close its St Louis plant if the tax measure passed, though nobody believed that.
▪ It's closing down ... declared a fire safety risk ... only a few years after it was reopened.
▪ The first shock was that the mill closed.
▪ The pension fund was broke, the mines were closed, and it looked like the moon.
▪ The play opens Monday and is scheduled to close March 20.
▪ When he finishes his supper, the boy tucks the lunch box back into a shopping bag and closes his eyes.
II.adjectiveCOLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
much
▪ Probably they would have lost all the same, but another bowler might have made it much closer.
▪ In fact, however, the experiences of men and women are much closer than most people realize.
▪ If women were evenly distributed across the spectrum of employment, their pay levels would be much closer to those of men.
▪ The game is much closer than it should be.
▪ This year, however, Britain has been faced by a tyrant much closer to home.
▪ It wasn't the truth awaiting her at the château that she feared, but one much closer to home.
▪ And almost immediately after that she realised that Julius had moved much closer.
▪ But according to his campaign manager Mr Brian Fisk, it's all much closer to home than it was in 1966.
perilously
▪ Twice I ran perilously close to the edge, my eyes dazzled and eyelids drooping.
▪ I was perilously close to being touched once and for all.
▪ In the middle of the game Kasparov, seemed perilously close to a loss.
▪ He was perilously close to losing control over House Republicans, especially the newly-elected class of 73 right-wing ideologues.
▪ Are you aware that you're getting perilously close to slander?
▪ But he was perilously close to the edge of the crumbling cliff.
▪ During the battle five Troll Slayers distinguished themselves by attacking and destroying three Trolls which were perilously close to crushing Duregar himself.
▪ Last season's away form led to flirting with relegation and we went perilously close.
quite
▪ He gripped the wheel tightly and held his face quite close to the windscreen.
▪ Bullets were passing quite close overhead, and one ricocheted off a front mudguard.
▪ Where I live at present is bounded by two rivers and is quite close to the sea.
▪ Magee could make out two figures crouched on the steps near the top, quite close to the door of the church.
▪ Then she heard the sound of a car - quite close.
▪ They were attractive-looking animals and they often allowed us to get quite close.
▪ I had an accident quite close to the gates and Jorge came to get me and helped me back.
▪ It had seemed a long way away, but in some ways it might be quite close.
so
▪ We were so close - weren't we?
▪ The hairs on his forearm brushed hers, he sat so close.
▪ He did not like the fact that his potential assassins had got so close to the Hotel where he was staying.
▪ She hadn't realised that they were so close.
▪ Help had been so close - and the disappointment was all the greater for it.
▪ Furious as he undoubtedly was with her, she still felt a thrill to be so close to him.
▪ Balder Head farmhouse was so close to the reservoir that the water lapped up to the garden wall.
▪ In the meantime because he lay so close to them Tom was able to hear and see most of what went on.
too
▪ On the other hand, supper sounded too close to bedtime for his liking.
▪ Avoid getting too close to them and certainly don't try to wrestle with them or restrain them.
▪ The moorings are too close to town centre.
▪ Even the car keys or a belt buckle may upset things if placed too close.
▪ Never sit too close to fires.
▪ From here they can move forward to interpose themselves when the enemy is too close.
very
▪ You do business with my daddy, you're very close to him in that way.
▪ I think this is going to be a very close game and one that will be decided by mistakes.&038;.
▪ Rod himself admits that he's been very close to arrest.
▪ His eyes searching hers from very close quarters, he chuckled when she hastily lowered her lashes.
▪ In another very close team event Wallasey just beat the Menai Straits one design club by a quarter point.
▪ The two brothers were very close and no writer I can think of has such a hatred of death as Canetti.
▪ He looked as if he'd taken both barrels into his chest at very close range.
▪ Consider this as simply a very close and enjoyable relationship in order to answer the following question.
■ NOUN
ally
▪ The result is that poverty and retirement are usually close allies.
▪ The two countries are close allies.
▪ Cleveland was a close ally of Dorsheimer and an admirer of Olmsted.
▪ The United States, formerly President Barre's close ally, has abandoned him.
▪ A close ally of Clinton, he led his election campaign in Mississippi.
▪ When they failed, Aristide chose a close ally, Rene Preval, as his successor.
associate
▪ It had a close associate in Col.
▪ Salameh was a close associate of the alleged mastermind of the Trade Center bombing, Ramzi Yousef.
▪ In April 1959 Castro, despite the misgivings of some of his close associates, visited the United States.
▪ Almost all were close associates of Mulroney.
▪ The family was later to be among Gloucester's closest associates.
▪ Zhang Gong, both close associates of Yang Baibing, were appointed commander and political commissar, respectively.
association
▪ Most of the teaching was offered in small tutorial groups with close association between staff and students.
▪ By its close association with women.
▪ Forming a close association with them was ruled out.
▪ That began a close association between the two, with the artist applying himself assiduously to the theories of his friend.
▪ Coupled with his close association with medicine, it explains why he decided to follow the career of scientist and natural philosopher.
▪ It shows the close association that can exist between organic chemical synthesis and clay surfaces.
▪ The close association with the university teaching programs which prepare future teachers of exceptional children. 2.
attention
▪ Pay close attention to the sweep pattern and strokes, and this will eventually become second nature.
▪ The result of such close attention being paid to community is a growing sense of responsibility on the part of the students.
▪ In later chapters we shall give this aspect of the book closer attention.
▪ But agents paid closer attention than they did before and watched for reactions.
▪ The former Prime Minister watched the results with close attention.
▪ They eschewed grand schemes of schematic explanation, preferring empirical explorations of the particular, with close attention to analyzing function.
▪ They certainly pay close attention to one another's progress, frequently glancing from side to side to check on each other's position.
▪ He enters freely into public debate from his close attention to most subjects, but he is no Orator.
call
▪ Sydney's closest call operating out of Rendcomb was in a Brisfit shortly after his arrival.
▪ This was surely a close call!
▪ If you are a Swindon fan, you're bias of course, but it was a close call.
▪ Afterward, when he came down for his evening meal, we talked about the close call.
▪ But it had been a close call.
▪ You can only have so many close calls for your luck to run out.
▪ He left the ground via a close call with an ambulance and came very close to running over your correspondent.
▪ Two days before, there had been a close call.
connection
▪ This suggests again the close connection between property regulations and marriage patterns.
▪ It simply establishes a much closer connection between the process of socialization and its symbolic consequences.
▪ And there is a particularly close connection in the case we are considering.
▪ Domestic drama had a close connection with the growing spirit of dissatisfaction with existing social, economic, religious and political conditions.
▪ Campaigners boosted the impact of their warnings by drawing a close connection between the fly and the home.
▪ There is a close connection between the learning process and the development of a thinking, reasoning self.
▪ Because of its close connection with metaphor, simile may also be considered here.
▪ During the recent years after the war the university rose in national importance and always had a close connection with the bishop.
contact
▪ Behavior is a discouraging field because we are in such close contact with it.
▪ First, the concept of advisory reduces school size by putting students in close contact with a single faculty member.
▪ The churches themselves began reorganizing their affairs, often removing those officials who had close contact with the previous regime.
▪ Children must operate for the first time in close contact with individuals to whom they are not related.
▪ In addition, some packaging which comes into close contact with food has implications on human health and quality of food.
▪ By maintaining close contact with produce companies, Fahey secures the freshest ingredients for his menu.
▪ It has been a privilege to enjoy close contact with the College and so many Somervillians.
▪ There was also continuing close contact between Eadwine's court and that of Eadbald, king of Kent.
cooperation
▪ With his death the close cooperation between these two organisations, initiated by Ayliffe and William McDougall, came to an end.
▪ Even so, a spirit of close cooperation and bonhomie was generated, contributing much to the success of the Workshop.
▪ We must all work together in close cooperation to provide the best possible service for our clients.
▪ Finally, we emphasise that close cooperation between microbiologists and clinicians is important.
▪ All parents are made to feel welcome as we fully appreciate the value of close cooperation between home and School.
▪ To many, the postwar economic problems of the continent demanded a substantial element of very close cooperation.
▪ She hoped that the two countries would develop a better relationship and undertake closer cooperation.
▪ The organisation of this has only been possible with the close cooperation and support of District Managers, and their designated staff.
encounter
▪ The designer's close encounter of severe illness had a profound influence on his scheme.
▪ Retired Willcox schoolteacher Joe Duhon has had several close encounters with the Playa, but he keeps going back.
▪ The pain is severe and no predator would risk a second close encounter with these snakes.
▪ We also shared a cou-ple of close encounters with danger.
▪ In a close encounter last season, Gloucester pipped Northampton by 7 points to 6.
▪ I've twice had close encounters of a nasty kind with flying lead.
▪ Desert Orchid and a close encounter of the short kind.
▪ For those unexpected close encounters, breath refresher capsules can be a real life-saver.
examination
▪ The imp of hell appeared on closer examination to be a neglected child.
▪ But on closer examination, they reflect the 2560-15 percent breakdown.
▪ The analysis involves close examination of a sample of markets in which significant entry has occurred.
▪ But close examination showed that species intolerant of acid conditions or high nitrogen levels were not reappearing.
▪ First, some challenges, although important and pressing, turn out on closer examination to be neither new nor different.
▪ At a distance many species look similar and only closer examination reveals the difference.
▪ But although this is at first appealing, on closer examination the concept is somewhat flawed.
eye
▪ Maybe the DOS-based Personal Finance Planner will help us keep a closer eye on those disappearing thousands.
▪ To be sure, investors should keep a close eye on indicators of problem loans, analysts said.
▪ You do need to keep a closer eye on suppliers when you're buying more equipment in a single purchase.
▪ Naturally we kept a close eye on our two new masts to see if they would make any difference.
▪ I assure the Minister that we shall keep a close eye on these sales.
▪ Republicans will keep a close eye on funding for education and training.
▪ There were not so many lights and Endill kept a close eye on the Headmaster in case he became lost in the darkness.
▪ Still, keep a close eye on those Netkids.
family
▪ Having himself come from a close family he did not at first regard his wife's involvement with Chloe as unusual.
▪ Limits are placed on phone calls and visits with close family members.
▪ Most likely there will be some one in the close family or a reliable friend.
▪ Only close family members attended the service, some of whom say that his body showed signs of torture.
▪ Do you play better in front of close family?
▪ She had no close family nearby.
▪ Another 25 percent of abusers were close family relatives such as brothers, uncles and grandfathers.
▪ The groom and his close family took their places, cross-legged, on the matting beside the trunk of wedding gifts.
friend
▪ He was quite fearless ... he was an inspiration ... he was my closest friend, my strength and shield.
▪ Leckie, a close friend of Symington, may know the details.
▪ He soon became a close friend of my parents and was later godfather to my brother Brian.
▪ Joe, on the other hand, was a close friend of Jack Kennedy, and an even closer friend of Jackie.
▪ But her closest friends remained those she had made in the Hollywood and New York film worlds.
▪ It contained a note from Dermot Kinane, an ex-jockey who had been a close friend of the family in Ireland.
▪ He was hired for these qualities and also because his father-in-law is a real estate expert and a close friend.
friendship
▪ Likewise, close friendships sometimes alter when one friend retires - and not the other.
▪ Rosen has worked politically for Kennedy since his 1980 presidential primary run and developed a close friendship with the senator.
▪ Learning to play with other children and to form close friendships with some of them is a vital part of growing up.
▪ Moses, 24, has a close friendship with Keim, 17, who won her first national title.
▪ Eline envied the close friendship the two so obviously enjoyed.
▪ But now Joe was more presentable, and he formed a close friendship with both Katharine and Phil Graham.
▪ Diana's close friendship with the bachelor was revealed in sensational tapes published this summer.
▪ Joe and Chip became acquainted through club functions and developed a close friendship.
inspection
▪ Even apparent moves by the regime to resolve the crisis turn out on closer inspection to be nothing of the kind.
▪ On close inspection, the unpleasant truths an organization is afraid to tell often turn out to be not all that abhorrent.
▪ These skills have the effect of laying children open to closer inspection and increase their vulnerability through peer appraisal and criticism.
▪ A close inspection reveals that in a past life they were oxygen tanks.
▪ On closer inspection, in fact, the evidence tilts further towards the reassuring.
▪ On close inspection it looks more like the second touring production of Absurd Person Singular after a long spell in Pitlochry.
▪ Executives sometimes find that, on close inspection, the complaints made against them are misconceived.
▪ On closer inspection, however, the Middleborough mosaic does reveal some inconsistencies.
links
▪ Jane Madders, the author, has had close links with the Medau Society.
▪ The goal of all Catholic schools must be to build close links with both partners.
▪ With improved personal relationships, however, steps have been taken in the last few years towards closer links.
▪ He is exploring closer links with Diocesan and other denominational youth bodies which overlap in their aims.
▪ Mr Shirley reckons that the greatest of these will be developing closer links with customers.
▪ There were close links between the alchemists and the gnostics, and for the gnostics the picture was bleaker still.
▪ Six priests took part in the Mass all of whom had had close links with him during his ministry.
▪ This strategy has produced the following results: The college now has close links with 65 institutions across 16 countries.
look
▪ It might be out of bounds, but the temptation to take a slightly closer look was a temptation she could not resist.
▪ A closer look reveals a galaxy of gossamer threads that reach out to anchor the organism to rocks or other surfaces.
▪ I cautiously take a closer look.
▪ And like complete idiots, we yearned for a close look.
▪ Get it out and take a close look at it.
▪ Later, we take a close look at the city of Edinburgh and the local scenery.
▪ A close look at the points listed in Table 4.1 will show the level of confusion operating.
proximity
▪ Its small form factor allows two computers, in close proximity, to double up on the 10BaseT hub.
▪ But Pam absorbed more than the luxuries of life from her close proximity to men in power.
▪ Anyone can enter paintings in any style, and the lucky winners get hung, in rather close proximity, and sold.
▪ Bormann followed the simple principle of always remaining in the closest proximity to the source of all grace and favor.
▪ Organizational structure was driven by the necessity of having skilled negotiators in close proximity.
▪ Locked in the cell of himself, each specialist sees only that which lies within his close proximity.
▪ Persinger has suggested that these reports might be hallucinations instilled into the witnesses by the effect of ionising radiation in close proximity.
▪ Stretching plus folding lead to mixing by distancing neighboring points and bringing distant points into close proximity.
range
▪ David Byrne fired in a cross from the right and Grant shrugged off Richard Gough to shoot home from close range.
▪ Fornek got a second chance at close range as Gingrich was leaving the luncheon.
▪ The big defender's low drive from close range was blocked and then cleared by the alert Severin.
▪ This resonant condition permitted Mariner 10 to fly by Mercury at close range at the times of alternate perihelion passages.
▪ They were at it again within two minutes of the restart, as Shaun Bartlett fired over from close range.
▪ And Murdoch was again Thistle's hero when he blocked a close range shot from Trevor Steven.
▪ Speak made it 3-2 for Ballymena Utd in the second minute of injury time with a goal from close range.
▪ The cause of death was a shotgun blast at close range, and police are now investigating the illegal killing.
relation
▪ Much safer to stick to one's close relations.
▪ Social systems evolve in close relation to ecology.
▪ Children's own free play is not in itself drama, although it's a close relation.
▪ She said she had no close relations to bother about on her husband's side and only the Evans on hers.
▪ He was, however, a pragmatist and a realist who favoured close relations with the United States.
▪ Because the government abandoned any formal incomes policy there was less call for it to maintain close relations with union leaders.
▪ A similarly close relation ship may be seen between ivory and some of the most important precious stones used in antiquity.
▪ Equally, the state has helped to maintain the structure of capital markets which promote closer relations between financial and industrial capital.
relationship
▪ If so, the purr helps to establish and maintain a close relationship.
▪ The close relationship maintained by the consultant in instructional media use with the classroom teacher. 2.
▪ They also provide circumstantial evidence for a close relationship between mind and brain.
▪ This is the main reason politicians have few close relationships of any kind.
▪ Some women who have always had a career only get to think about the need for closer relationships after that finishes.
▪ What the Bank wanted was a closer relationship with banks' auditors.
▪ Intuitively, there is thus a close relationship between the behaviour of a process and those of its finite syntactic approximations.
▪ The variety of close relationships with which people end their lives should be acknowledged.
relative
▪ People wishing to emigrate would no longer need to prove that they had close relatives in the destination country.
▪ Even our closest relatives, the chimpanzees, are guilty.
▪ Very few doctors will resist constant requests for this from close relatives.
▪ All of its close relatives except one make the whine but not the chuck.
▪ The caller asks if she can be informed as gently as possible that a very close relative has died.
▪ One woman told me of a particular year in which seven close relatives died.
▪ It had been established as a close relative of adrenaline, named noradrenaline, late in the 1940s.
▪ She also said she would try to communicate more openly with her close relatives and friends.
scrutiny
▪ Just warn your friend Martin to be extra careful, because everything he does is under close scrutiny.
▪ Federal Trade Commission officials would not comment on the deal, but are expected by industry experts to give it close scrutiny.
▪ I had a feeling that his logic would not bear close scrutiny but was too numb to argue with the ancient greenkeeper.
▪ True, most of these beliefs contain grains of truth, but their omnipotent power does not survive close scrutiny.
▪ Other popular myths also fail to withstand close scrutiny.
▪ She said the elections department is under close scrutiny now.
▪ From close scrutiny, it soon emerges that they all have several features in common.
▪ Nelson's detailed account is well worth close scrutiny for it illustrates many aspects of socio-ecology most cogently.
season
▪ He is one of nine players given winter contracts designed to prevent them seeking employment elsewhere during the close season.
▪ Last close season one of the small drains that I fish ran very clear.
▪ During the close season in 1990 the unthinkable happened.
▪ During the close season in 1974 a dry moat had been constructed and new barriers installed.
▪ Sheffield-born left-back Beresford came close to becoming a Liverpool player during the close season - until the Anfield side pulled out.
▪ Weekends we're usually booked up in advance, you see, even in the close season.
▪ And there will be no close seasons!
second
▪ Acid House comes a close second to football fans in the tabloids' top ten of moral panics.
▪ Business is a close second in its neglect of children, leaving workers without sufficient family time.
▪ Put to the test, we suspect the anti-bat vote would be a close second to the anti-rat faction.
▪ An irresistible attraction to destructive men ran a close second.
▪ Sea bream, with shallot and red wine sauce, comes a close second in the restaurant.
▪ Etzioni and Ward a close second and Nisbet and Fontana less promising in these selected books by them.
▪ His hero is Jefferson, but the reporters always imagined that George Gallup ran a close second.
thing
▪ At Anfield last Saturday they made the final curtain safely, but it was a close thing.
▪ He was the closest thing to underage.
▪ It is the closest thing to a real arm available in medical science.
▪ The closest thing to it in Beavis and Butthead is Tom Anderson, the old guy.
▪ Fitt was the closest thing to a socialist in the party.
▪ This incident is the closest thing to action that there is in this book.
▪ Well to me, being on stage is the closest thing to actually making love, you know.
▪ It was certainly the closest thing in our town to what I later learned was pentecostal worship.
tie
▪ Glasgow had close ties of blood and interest with the Southern States of the Confederacy.
▪ But administration officials and other sources now concede that Alispahic remains an influential figure with close ties to Izetbegovic.
▪ The piece was purchased from the private collection of Ruth Blumka, a New York dealer with close ties to the museum.
▪ Some freeholders were just as keen as was the average burgh councillor to retain close ties with the government ministers.
▪ We view skin-to-skin care as a major advance in helping parents develop a closer tie to their infant.
touch
▪ Sherfey thinks women need to be in closer touch with their life purpose of caring for the species.
▪ He had not kept in close touch with the performers who had danced in his first little group.
▪ He told Parmenter he would stay in close touch with Guy Banister.
▪ To monitor their responses we have kept in close touch with each family's health visitor.
▪ He's in close touch with his employees, knowing many of them by their first names.
▪ Fifty years ago they were in closer touch.
▪ McGuinness is more hard-line than Adams and reckoned to be in closer touch with the mood of die-hard republicans.
watch
▪ I've had a fairly close watch kept on me.
▪ If not, why should Lalla Faqiha have kept such close watch on me and beaten me with such vindictiveness?
▪ Neurosurgeons have successfully moved a blood clot from her brain and are keeping a close watch on her.
▪ The inspector kept close watch of their arms and equipments and clothing.
▪ They tend, however, to keep a closer watch on discharges which are potentially highly polluting or large in volume.
▪ As mentioned earlier, there are alternatives for those keeping a close watch on their cholesterol.
▪ Bastide had been released grudgingly by the Sûreté with Chesnais insisting that a close watch be kept on him.
▪ Fortunately Scott was reasonably obedient as long as some one kept a close watch over him.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(hard/hot/close) on sb's heels
(hard/hot/close) on the heels of sth
▪ Critique followed hot on the heels of this pioneering work.
▪ On the heels of this came Mr J. to tell us that young Mrs P. had had her thighbone crushed.
▪ Then it seemed that the consummation would follow soon on the heels of its inauguration.
▪ With another couple of laps he might have finished close on the heels of the two Dunlops.
a close shave
▪ And so we all had a close shave once a term.
▪ Had a close shave by the looks of you.
▪ He seemed pale and in need of a closer shave.
▪ I had to rinse quite often to get rid of debris, but it did give a close shave.
▪ Now the challenge is complete, he is considering a close shave, probably in the name of charity.
a closed book
▪ But your own past can be a closed book, even at fourteen.
▪ He is holding a closed book, signifying a mystery, possibly a stage in the alchemical process.
▪ I can not believe that it can be right that this late in the game Poetry is still a closed book.
▪ I tell myself it's a closed book, but my cover story becomes an old man's compensation.
▪ Linear preoccupation in the past remains a closed book to modern understanding.
▪ The highly organised St Stephen's Society programme which she now leads was at that time a closed book to her!
▪ The kitchenette is a closed book.
▪ The Shoah will never be a closed book.
can do sth with your eyes shut/closed
close to the bone
close to the mark
close/dear to sb's heart
▪ His latest challenge is on a smaller scale, but it's much closer to his heart.
▪ I hold you near, close to my heart, There's so much for me to give, Where to begin?
▪ It is one that lies close to the heart of any study of the interaction of religion and society.
▪ One subject is obviously dear to Schofield's heart - the captaincy of Great Britain and Leeds.
▪ Other songs: Include Stainsby Girls, inspired by a Middlesbrough school close to his heart.
▪ The electrification of the network, a topic close to Lenin's heart, was discussed in the pages of Gudok.
▪ The President would go to Williamsburg, Virginia, a place close to his heart.
close/packed/crowded etc together
▪ The Beastline were standing close together, silhouetted against the sky.
▪ The main street in Lincoln is narrow, and the little houses are close together.
▪ These horses show relaxed, peaceful outlines, with friends standing particularly close together.
▪ They stood close together in silence, listening.
▪ Though they are close together on the couch, there is in fact a chasm between them.
▪ We draw close together to complete our plans.
close/shut your ears to sth
▪ At first, I closed my ears to what I did not want to hear.
▪ Claudia sank down on to her bed and tried to shut her ears to the sound of him in the next room.
▪ Don't close your ears to the world and don't give up.
▪ He tried to close his ears to the plea.
▪ Rincewind tried to shut his ears to the grating voice beside him.
▪ She heard the boys hurling abuse at her, shouting to her to stop, but she shut her ears to them.
▪ She wanted to close her ears to it.
▪ Sometimes she even managed to shut her ears to the arguments going on around her.
close/shut your eyes to sth
▪ We can't close our eyes to the fact that our town has a gang problem.
▪ I've closed my eyes to your activities long enough.
▪ If we must sometimes close our eyes to open them in the myth dimension, so be it.
▪ On a sob Ruth swallowed hard and closed her eyes to the burning sun overhead.
▪ On the other hand the very same development increases their tendency to close their eyes to the future.
▪ Prayer May we never become so worldly that we close our eyes to the miracle and mystery of life.
▪ The need to push came again, and Jane closed her eyes to concentrate.
▪ They could not shut their eyes to the ugly and degrading side of wine-drinking and see only the delightful side.
▪ Turning off the light, she slid back under the covers and closed her eyes to sleep fitfully until noon.
draw near/closer
▪ As the habeas hearing drew near, Lancaster County officials' concern over these revelations grew noticeable.
▪ As the pair drew near he turned and fled.
▪ As the race drew closer it was time for Paul to take a back seat.
▪ As we drew near and I watched 747 after 747 climbing laboriously into the clouds, I wondered what fate befell me.
▪ Men prosper for a decade, and demons dare not draw near!
▪ The bailiff directed all to draw near and give their attendance, promising that they would be heard.
▪ They drew near the bed and stared down at the boy who lay there sleeping in its drifts of tumbling lace.
▪ Two young boys, of around ten years of age, drawing closer, then parallel, now swiftly passing, past.
draw to a close/end
▪ As the decade drew to a close, it was evident that consumers were fed up.
▪ As the General's visit ended, the competition drew to a close.
▪ As the singing draws to a close, the cousins urge her to make a wish.
▪ But Enterprise Neptune has not drawn to an end with the successful completion of its Silver Jubilee year.
▪ He used to long for his holidays and grow deeply depressed when they drew to an end.
▪ The last of the wine is poured; the meal draws to a close.
▪ The long gray afternoon drew to a close.
▪ The year 1968 drew to a close and with it the life of Londonderry Corporation.
keep (close) tabs on sb/sth
▪ He keeps tabs on everyone in the building.
▪ A psychologist will keep tabs on teams of youngsters and will stop the operation if they show signs of stress.
▪ About the world Lenny Wilkens has been keeping tabs on world events, and one thing is clear.
▪ Although so little was heard from them, those who kept tabs on them were convinced that they were slowly fading away.
▪ Anne Dickson, a local politician, said people had been keeping tabs on Hamilton for years.
▪ But trappers will keep tabs on the extra traps until February, officials said.
▪ If she asked, he would accuse her of nagging, of wanting to keep tabs on him.
▪ They patrol land and keep tabs on the gangs after tip offs from gamekeepers and farmers.
▪ We try to keep close tabs on our boys in blue.
move in/close in for the kill
play your cards close to your chest
▪ Roslin, known for playing his cards close to his vest, declined to comment.
play/keep your cards close to your chest
sail close to the wind
▪ They had quite a reputation for sailing close to the wind.
▪ With his own property, it was perhaps easier too for a baron to take risks or sail close to the wind.
shut/close the door on sth
▪ A loss in this election will not necessarily close the door on the campaign.
▪ Come in, lads, come in and shut the door on the fog.
▪ Even so, Wickham was not ready to shut the door on the possibility.
▪ Imagine asking that they close the door on me so I can see what it feels like.
▪ It watched her, unwinking, until she reached the room behind the shop and shut the door on its crimson gaze.
▪ Lucker murmurs something to Jasper and leads him away closing the door on me.
▪ She closed the door on them.
▪ The previous owner had used a bathroom off one of the bedrooms as storage and simply closed the door on it.
shut/close the stable door after the horse has bolted
too close/near for comfort
▪ At times, the similarities are too close for comfort, edging towards the derivative.
▪ But our last memory was of a nightingale pair, singing in competition in territories perhaps too close for comfort.
▪ Cross-addictions may be hotly denied because the subject matter may for some be too close for comfort.
▪ In a wave trough I caught a glimpse of a coral head to port: a little too close for comfort.
▪ Lightning dipped and veered in a manner which was far too close for comfort.
▪ Richard, and you quite see why, finds economy airline seats too close for comfort.
▪ The movement brought him too close for comfort.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Dad and I have always been very close.
▪ I'm still very close to my parents.
▪ It turns out that Julie is a close friend of my cousin Kelly.
▪ Mom and I are a lot closer now than we were when I was a teenager.
▪ My sister and I used to argue a lot, but now we're very close.
▪ On closer examination of the facts it became clear that the boy was innocent.
▪ Our birthdays are close together.
▪ Our job requires close contact with the sales manager.
▪ She was never very close to her stepmother.
▪ Take a close look at this photograph.
▪ The grocery store on Victory Boulevard is closer.
▪ The school encourages close partnerships between teachers and parents.
▪ We have always been a close family.
▪ We haven't finished remodeling the kitchen yet, but we're close.
▪ What we need now is closer cooperation between the sales and marketing staffs.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Are they in good condition, especially those close to the house?
▪ Bormann followed the simple principle of always remaining in the closest proximity to the source of all grace and favor.
▪ But the Gulf of California is closer than you think, and currently under assault by everything from pollution to poaching.
▪ Federal Trade Commission officials would not comment on the deal, but are expected by industry experts to give it close scrutiny.
▪ Is there some one he would listen to, such as a close friend or relative?
▪ It is important that the close link with the local authority remains.
▪ Rosen has worked politically for Kennedy since his 1980 presidential primary run and developed a close friendship with the senator.
▪ Snowden's close reasoning and unerring instinct for words were allied with Maxton's humour and Churchill's daring.
III.adverbCOLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ VERB
come
▪ No other female player has come close to her level.
▪ Only once since 1987 has Karelin come close to losing.
▪ He made telling first half stops and saw his forwards come close to securing three points.
▪ He never came close to realizing his dream of winning the presidency.
▪ And maybe the rest of the gang wouldn't have got burned out if she hadn't come close before.
▪ Many observers say that if the leadership election were held now, Redwood could topple Major or at least come close.
▪ Even without the view, the decor doesn't come close.
▪ He can come close, perhaps, but the closer he comes, the greater the risk of slippage.
draw
▪ As he drew close to the hut, a sense of dread took hold of him.
▪ As I drew close they both bolted, crashing loudly through the alder thicket.
▪ Maggie is drawing close to the bar.
▪ Fishermen in their trawlers draw close to the straw vessels and throw candy, fruit, and other treats to the children.
▪ At the foot of the ramp's slope, a private ambulance was drawn close to a side wall.
▪ A small sailboat draws close and Captains Peleg and Bildad, both old sea salts, reluctantly leave.
▪ As they drew close to the outskirts of Chichester itself rain clouds were gathering.
▪ Barbara, most of the time, sat on a hard wooden chair drawn close.
feel
▪ Whenever he drifts toward sleep he feels close to distinguishing the words.
▪ Then ask her if she feels close enough to you to try it-that should do the trick.
▪ Instead he fought for an essentially spiritual satisfaction-because it made him feel close to some universal force.
▪ Funny thing, I felt close to Connie, yet I'd never laid eyes on her.
▪ Feel close to people in power?
▪ Pamela had never felt close to him.
▪ The twins felt close to their uncle.
get
▪ Walking offers wonderful opportunities to get close to wildlife.
▪ Terry hated him; she said he hung around with her brother in order to get close to her.
▪ When it got close enough to radio a request for National Lottery cash.
▪ Every time I get close to some one, off they go.
▪ I had to get close to them.
▪ Get close and fill the frame.
▪ If vets can get close enough, they could test the animal for rabies.
▪ They, too, are getting close to the time when they start to build their nests.
keep
▪ Notice how the compact legs are enabling the body to keep close to the board.
▪ She also kept close to the progress of the research projects.
▪ By keeping close to customers, we are better able to service their needs and we can keep ahead of industry trends.
▪ Flight directors were keeping close tabs Tuesday on a frontal system in the Midwest.
▪ He turned right, keeping close to the shops on his left, using them as a guide.
▪ The exposure was a little frightening at first and instinctively he kept close to walls.
▪ At first they kept close to the little river.
lie
▪ The south-east lay close to Macedon, across the Adriatic Sea.
▪ We lay close together, and Jasper produced from a pocket a thin silver flask.
▪ Susan's arm lay close to her head.
▪ It is one that lies close to the heart of any study of the interaction of religion and society.
▪ She would not wake him or touch him or even lie close enough to feel his warmth.
▪ Rodomonte picked up a football sized rock that lay close to the entrance, and passed through.
▪ Alpha Herculis, or Rasalgethi, lies close to Alpha Ophiuchi, rather divorced from the rest of the constellation.
live
▪ In those days captains of industry were not ashamed to live close to the source of their wealth.
▪ They live close to the concrete.
▪ Geography will be irrelevant, and people on opposite sides may be living close to each other.
▪ He lived close to the victim.
▪ Some of the best-loved boxers who ever lived close to Aldgate Pump were crammed into the bars.
▪ People who lived close to a busy airport were interviewed regarding their sleep quality.
▪ Born in Kent, she now lives close to Sunderland with her T.V. producer husband and their 8 year old daughter.
remain
▪ Most of the Official Unionist members at Westminster had remained close to the Faulknerites.
▪ But he remained close to Norvo and Bailey.
▪ They have remained close to the latter level ever since.
▪ His folks never wed, but did remain close, even as both went on to marriages and divorces with other partners.
▪ From 1254 onwards, while remaining close to Simon, Peter's career also developed independently.
▪ In most societies women travel to live with their husbands, whereas men tend to remain close to their relatives.
▪ When m 0.6, the input resistance remains close to for frequencies up to 85% of the critical frequency.
▪ Amelia remained close to her parents and her sister through the summers spent in Kansas City.
run
▪ The market is also highly sensitive because trading volumes are running close to 10-year lows.
▪ Cardiff residents have complained that the nearby bluffs are too fragile to withstand the pounding of more trains running close by.
▪ It looks like a two-minute painting: four dull green brushstrokes run close to the painting's edge, reiterating the rectangle.
▪ The application still ran close to the user to give a crisp look and feel.
stand
▪ The range fire was glowing, hot enough to roast anyone who stood close to it.
▪ Here is a great tree, standing close to the ditch.
▪ They stood close to the door, the boy a pace behind the official.
▪ Looking pleased but shy, we stand close to each other next to Mother in the iron lung.
▪ Roman was standing close to her, so close that she could feel the warmth from his body.
▪ Give a different student the saucepan and the spoon and ask her to stand close to the bowl without touching it.
▪ The Beastline were standing close together, silhouetted against the sky.
▪ They watched how he was forced to let Paul manage the navigation as he stood close by.
stay
▪ Pyjamas seems afraid of them: he stays close to the wall.
▪ I wanted to stay close to home and go to a good academic school.
▪ I couldn't stay close to whatever it was in him that liked it so much.
▪ The trick to that is staying close enough to see their instrument lights.
▪ Feminist psychologies which work by association, stay close enough to psychology's concerns to be able to contest them.
▪ I tend to stay close to people who can tell me things I like knowing.
▪ His daughter stayed close to me to make sure that nobody hurt me.
▪ That was another good reason to stay close to home and in your own neighborhood-town and ethnic state.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(hard/hot/close) on sb's heels
(hard/hot/close) on the heels of sth
▪ Critique followed hot on the heels of this pioneering work.
▪ On the heels of this came Mr J. to tell us that young Mrs P. had had her thighbone crushed.
▪ Then it seemed that the consummation would follow soon on the heels of its inauguration.
▪ With another couple of laps he might have finished close on the heels of the two Dunlops.
a close shave
▪ And so we all had a close shave once a term.
▪ Had a close shave by the looks of you.
▪ He seemed pale and in need of a closer shave.
▪ I had to rinse quite often to get rid of debris, but it did give a close shave.
▪ Now the challenge is complete, he is considering a close shave, probably in the name of charity.
a closed book
▪ But your own past can be a closed book, even at fourteen.
▪ He is holding a closed book, signifying a mystery, possibly a stage in the alchemical process.
▪ I can not believe that it can be right that this late in the game Poetry is still a closed book.
▪ I tell myself it's a closed book, but my cover story becomes an old man's compensation.
▪ Linear preoccupation in the past remains a closed book to modern understanding.
▪ The highly organised St Stephen's Society programme which she now leads was at that time a closed book to her!
▪ The kitchenette is a closed book.
▪ The Shoah will never be a closed book.
a closed book (to sb)
▪ But your own past can be a closed book, even at fourteen.
▪ He is holding a closed book, signifying a mystery, possibly a stage in the alchemical process.
▪ I can not believe that it can be right that this late in the game Poetry is still a closed book.
▪ I tell myself it's a closed book, but my cover story becomes an old man's compensation.
▪ Linear preoccupation in the past remains a closed book to modern understanding.
▪ The highly organised St Stephen's Society programme which she now leads was at that time a closed book to her!
▪ The kitchenette is a closed book.
▪ The Shoah will never be a closed book.
a closed set (of sth)
behind closed doors
▪ Although America is a democracy, a lot of key decisions are made behind closed doors by unelected advisers.
▪ The board members met behind closed doors to discuss the deal.
▪ And, unlike most other House panels, the ethics committee conducts virtually all of its business behind closed doors.
▪ As the jurors deliberated behind closed doors, the judge huddled with lawyers from both sides in his chambers.
▪ Real's punishment was to play subsequent matches behind closed doors.
▪ Schmoke spent most of his time behind closed doors.
▪ The hearings are behind closed doors, Newsweek says, and it has not discovered the names of the companies implicated.
▪ We think, but we don't really know what they were saying to each other behind closed doors.
can do sth with your eyes shut/closed
close to the bone
close to the mark
close/dear to sb's heart
▪ His latest challenge is on a smaller scale, but it's much closer to his heart.
▪ I hold you near, close to my heart, There's so much for me to give, Where to begin?
▪ It is one that lies close to the heart of any study of the interaction of religion and society.
▪ One subject is obviously dear to Schofield's heart - the captaincy of Great Britain and Leeds.
▪ Other songs: Include Stainsby Girls, inspired by a Middlesbrough school close to his heart.
▪ The electrification of the network, a topic close to Lenin's heart, was discussed in the pages of Gudok.
▪ The President would go to Williamsburg, Virginia, a place close to his heart.
close/packed/crowded etc together
▪ The Beastline were standing close together, silhouetted against the sky.
▪ The main street in Lincoln is narrow, and the little houses are close together.
▪ These horses show relaxed, peaceful outlines, with friends standing particularly close together.
▪ They stood close together in silence, listening.
▪ Though they are close together on the couch, there is in fact a chasm between them.
▪ We draw close together to complete our plans.
close/shut your ears to sth
▪ At first, I closed my ears to what I did not want to hear.
▪ Claudia sank down on to her bed and tried to shut her ears to the sound of him in the next room.
▪ Don't close your ears to the world and don't give up.
▪ He tried to close his ears to the plea.
▪ Rincewind tried to shut his ears to the grating voice beside him.
▪ She heard the boys hurling abuse at her, shouting to her to stop, but she shut her ears to them.
▪ She wanted to close her ears to it.
▪ Sometimes she even managed to shut her ears to the arguments going on around her.
close/shut your eyes to sth
▪ We can't close our eyes to the fact that our town has a gang problem.
▪ I've closed my eyes to your activities long enough.
▪ If we must sometimes close our eyes to open them in the myth dimension, so be it.
▪ On a sob Ruth swallowed hard and closed her eyes to the burning sun overhead.
▪ On the other hand the very same development increases their tendency to close their eyes to the future.
▪ Prayer May we never become so worldly that we close our eyes to the miracle and mystery of life.
▪ The need to push came again, and Jane closed her eyes to concentrate.
▪ They could not shut their eyes to the ugly and degrading side of wine-drinking and see only the delightful side.
▪ Turning off the light, she slid back under the covers and closed her eyes to sleep fitfully until noon.
draw near/closer
▪ As the habeas hearing drew near, Lancaster County officials' concern over these revelations grew noticeable.
▪ As the pair drew near he turned and fled.
▪ As the race drew closer it was time for Paul to take a back seat.
▪ As we drew near and I watched 747 after 747 climbing laboriously into the clouds, I wondered what fate befell me.
▪ Men prosper for a decade, and demons dare not draw near!
▪ The bailiff directed all to draw near and give their attendance, promising that they would be heard.
▪ They drew near the bed and stared down at the boy who lay there sleeping in its drifts of tumbling lace.
▪ Two young boys, of around ten years of age, drawing closer, then parallel, now swiftly passing, past.
draw to a close/end
▪ As the decade drew to a close, it was evident that consumers were fed up.
▪ As the General's visit ended, the competition drew to a close.
▪ As the singing draws to a close, the cousins urge her to make a wish.
▪ But Enterprise Neptune has not drawn to an end with the successful completion of its Silver Jubilee year.
▪ He used to long for his holidays and grow deeply depressed when they drew to an end.
▪ The last of the wine is poured; the meal draws to a close.
▪ The long gray afternoon drew to a close.
▪ The year 1968 drew to a close and with it the life of Londonderry Corporation.
keep (close) tabs on sb/sth
▪ He keeps tabs on everyone in the building.
▪ A psychologist will keep tabs on teams of youngsters and will stop the operation if they show signs of stress.
▪ About the world Lenny Wilkens has been keeping tabs on world events, and one thing is clear.
▪ Although so little was heard from them, those who kept tabs on them were convinced that they were slowly fading away.
▪ Anne Dickson, a local politician, said people had been keeping tabs on Hamilton for years.
▪ But trappers will keep tabs on the extra traps until February, officials said.
▪ If she asked, he would accuse her of nagging, of wanting to keep tabs on him.
▪ They patrol land and keep tabs on the gangs after tip offs from gamekeepers and farmers.
▪ We try to keep close tabs on our boys in blue.
move in/close in for the kill
play your cards close to your chest
▪ Roslin, known for playing his cards close to his vest, declined to comment.
play/keep your cards close to your chest
sail close to the wind
▪ They had quite a reputation for sailing close to the wind.
▪ With his own property, it was perhaps easier too for a baron to take risks or sail close to the wind.
shut/close the door on sth
▪ A loss in this election will not necessarily close the door on the campaign.
▪ Come in, lads, come in and shut the door on the fog.
▪ Even so, Wickham was not ready to shut the door on the possibility.
▪ Imagine asking that they close the door on me so I can see what it feels like.
▪ It watched her, unwinking, until she reached the room behind the shop and shut the door on its crimson gaze.
▪ Lucker murmurs something to Jasper and leads him away closing the door on me.
▪ She closed the door on them.
▪ The previous owner had used a bathroom off one of the bedrooms as storage and simply closed the door on it.
shut/close the stable door after the horse has bolted
too close/near for comfort
▪ At times, the similarities are too close for comfort, edging towards the derivative.
▪ But our last memory was of a nightingale pair, singing in competition in territories perhaps too close for comfort.
▪ Cross-addictions may be hotly denied because the subject matter may for some be too close for comfort.
▪ In a wave trough I caught a glimpse of a coral head to port: a little too close for comfort.
▪ Lightning dipped and veered in a manner which was far too close for comfort.
▪ Richard, and you quite see why, finds economy airline seats too close for comfort.
▪ The movement brought him too close for comfort.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ She was holding her baby close.
▪ The police questioned him closely about his involvement in the robbery.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Close by a couple were kissing, holding each other close to ward off the cold wind that had sprung up.
▪ Anyone who works close to the darker side of human nature can not help taking on board some of the pain.
▪ For that, you would sit behind the basket, seeing half the game up close.
▪ Living close to overhead electric power lines causes health hazards.
▪ There were close to a hundred.
IV.nounCOLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ VERB
bring
▪ The sale, which was expected, brings to a close a chapter that began when Xerox bought insurance company Crum&038;.
▪ Jasper had a way of bringing conversations to a close.
come
▪ Exactly when the Gingrich case will come to a close has become a matter of bitter dispute.
▪ The announcement came after the close of trading.
▪ Ultimately, some one wins-the case comes to a close.
▪ The long day was coming to a close.
▪ Trials proceed until the case comes to a close with a verdict, mistrial or late settlement.
draw
▪ As training drew to a close, a delicious smile suddenly appeared on Nick Mallett's face.
▪ The long gray afternoon drew to a close.
▪ It is more a mode of address for a slightly iffy constitutional compromise that is drawing peacefully towards its close.
▪ My time with Stark was drawing to a close.
▪ As the 1860s drew to a close, Kansas effectively put its violent heritage behind; change accelerated by leaps and bounds.
▪ John Champagne and Bob Guadiana grabbed their chance to lead the way as 1991 drew to a close.
▪ With the announcement of Daimler, the 77-year existence of Fokker appears to be drawing to a close.
▪ The year 1995 drew to a close on a fitting note.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(hard/hot/close) on sb's heels
(hard/hot/close) on the heels of sth
▪ Critique followed hot on the heels of this pioneering work.
▪ On the heels of this came Mr J. to tell us that young Mrs P. had had her thighbone crushed.
▪ Then it seemed that the consummation would follow soon on the heels of its inauguration.
▪ With another couple of laps he might have finished close on the heels of the two Dunlops.
a close shave
▪ And so we all had a close shave once a term.
▪ Had a close shave by the looks of you.
▪ He seemed pale and in need of a closer shave.
▪ I had to rinse quite often to get rid of debris, but it did give a close shave.
▪ Now the challenge is complete, he is considering a close shave, probably in the name of charity.
a closed book (to sb)
▪ But your own past can be a closed book, even at fourteen.
▪ He is holding a closed book, signifying a mystery, possibly a stage in the alchemical process.
▪ I can not believe that it can be right that this late in the game Poetry is still a closed book.
▪ I tell myself it's a closed book, but my cover story becomes an old man's compensation.
▪ Linear preoccupation in the past remains a closed book to modern understanding.
▪ The highly organised St Stephen's Society programme which she now leads was at that time a closed book to her!
▪ The kitchenette is a closed book.
▪ The Shoah will never be a closed book.
a closed set (of sth)
behind closed doors
▪ Although America is a democracy, a lot of key decisions are made behind closed doors by unelected advisers.
▪ The board members met behind closed doors to discuss the deal.
▪ And, unlike most other House panels, the ethics committee conducts virtually all of its business behind closed doors.
▪ As the jurors deliberated behind closed doors, the judge huddled with lawyers from both sides in his chambers.
▪ Real's punishment was to play subsequent matches behind closed doors.
▪ Schmoke spent most of his time behind closed doors.
▪ The hearings are behind closed doors, Newsweek says, and it has not discovered the names of the companies implicated.
▪ We think, but we don't really know what they were saying to each other behind closed doors.
close to the bone
close to the mark
close/dear to sb's heart
▪ His latest challenge is on a smaller scale, but it's much closer to his heart.
▪ I hold you near, close to my heart, There's so much for me to give, Where to begin?
▪ It is one that lies close to the heart of any study of the interaction of religion and society.
▪ One subject is obviously dear to Schofield's heart - the captaincy of Great Britain and Leeds.
▪ Other songs: Include Stainsby Girls, inspired by a Middlesbrough school close to his heart.
▪ The electrification of the network, a topic close to Lenin's heart, was discussed in the pages of Gudok.
▪ The President would go to Williamsburg, Virginia, a place close to his heart.
close/packed/crowded etc together
▪ The Beastline were standing close together, silhouetted against the sky.
▪ The main street in Lincoln is narrow, and the little houses are close together.
▪ These horses show relaxed, peaceful outlines, with friends standing particularly close together.
▪ They stood close together in silence, listening.
▪ Though they are close together on the couch, there is in fact a chasm between them.
▪ We draw close together to complete our plans.
close/shut your ears to sth
▪ At first, I closed my ears to what I did not want to hear.
▪ Claudia sank down on to her bed and tried to shut her ears to the sound of him in the next room.
▪ Don't close your ears to the world and don't give up.
▪ He tried to close his ears to the plea.
▪ Rincewind tried to shut his ears to the grating voice beside him.
▪ She heard the boys hurling abuse at her, shouting to her to stop, but she shut her ears to them.
▪ She wanted to close her ears to it.
▪ Sometimes she even managed to shut her ears to the arguments going on around her.
close/shut your eyes to sth
▪ We can't close our eyes to the fact that our town has a gang problem.
▪ I've closed my eyes to your activities long enough.
▪ If we must sometimes close our eyes to open them in the myth dimension, so be it.
▪ On a sob Ruth swallowed hard and closed her eyes to the burning sun overhead.
▪ On the other hand the very same development increases their tendency to close their eyes to the future.
▪ Prayer May we never become so worldly that we close our eyes to the miracle and mystery of life.
▪ The need to push came again, and Jane closed her eyes to concentrate.
▪ They could not shut their eyes to the ugly and degrading side of wine-drinking and see only the delightful side.
▪ Turning off the light, she slid back under the covers and closed her eyes to sleep fitfully until noon.
draw near/closer
▪ As the habeas hearing drew near, Lancaster County officials' concern over these revelations grew noticeable.
▪ As the pair drew near he turned and fled.
▪ As the race drew closer it was time for Paul to take a back seat.
▪ As we drew near and I watched 747 after 747 climbing laboriously into the clouds, I wondered what fate befell me.
▪ Men prosper for a decade, and demons dare not draw near!
▪ The bailiff directed all to draw near and give their attendance, promising that they would be heard.
▪ They drew near the bed and stared down at the boy who lay there sleeping in its drifts of tumbling lace.
▪ Two young boys, of around ten years of age, drawing closer, then parallel, now swiftly passing, past.
draw to a close/end
▪ As the decade drew to a close, it was evident that consumers were fed up.
▪ As the General's visit ended, the competition drew to a close.
▪ As the singing draws to a close, the cousins urge her to make a wish.
▪ But Enterprise Neptune has not drawn to an end with the successful completion of its Silver Jubilee year.
▪ He used to long for his holidays and grow deeply depressed when they drew to an end.
▪ The last of the wine is poured; the meal draws to a close.
▪ The long gray afternoon drew to a close.
▪ The year 1968 drew to a close and with it the life of Londonderry Corporation.
keep (close) tabs on sb/sth
▪ He keeps tabs on everyone in the building.
▪ A psychologist will keep tabs on teams of youngsters and will stop the operation if they show signs of stress.
▪ About the world Lenny Wilkens has been keeping tabs on world events, and one thing is clear.
▪ Although so little was heard from them, those who kept tabs on them were convinced that they were slowly fading away.
▪ Anne Dickson, a local politician, said people had been keeping tabs on Hamilton for years.
▪ But trappers will keep tabs on the extra traps until February, officials said.
▪ If she asked, he would accuse her of nagging, of wanting to keep tabs on him.
▪ They patrol land and keep tabs on the gangs after tip offs from gamekeepers and farmers.
▪ We try to keep close tabs on our boys in blue.
move in/close in for the kill
play your cards close to your chest
▪ Roslin, known for playing his cards close to his vest, declined to comment.
play/keep your cards close to your chest
sail close to the wind
▪ They had quite a reputation for sailing close to the wind.
▪ With his own property, it was perhaps easier too for a baron to take risks or sail close to the wind.
too close/near for comfort
▪ At times, the similarities are too close for comfort, edging towards the derivative.
▪ But our last memory was of a nightingale pair, singing in competition in territories perhaps too close for comfort.
▪ Cross-addictions may be hotly denied because the subject matter may for some be too close for comfort.
▪ In a wave trough I caught a glimpse of a coral head to port: a little too close for comfort.
▪ Lightning dipped and veered in a manner which was far too close for comfort.
▪ Richard, and you quite see why, finds economy airline seats too close for comfort.
▪ The movement brought him too close for comfort.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ At the close of trading on the stock market, Ciena shares were up to $37.
▪ Fran lives at 37 Appian Close.
▪ Several hours later, the meeting drew to a close and the board members filed out of the room.
▪ The beginning of April usually marks the close of the skiing season.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Exactly when the Gingrich case will come to a close has become a matter of bitter dispute.
▪ I remember the close of each of those weekend nights as a prolonged farewell.
▪ John Champagne and Bob Guadiana grabbed their chance to lead the way as 1991 drew to a close.
▪ Since then, Service Corp. stock has zipped up from 44 to 47 at the close of trading last week.
V.nounEXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ I remember the close of each of those weekend nights as a prolonged farewell.
▪ Lying in a cradle close by are two babies.