Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

close up

/kləʊzˈʌp/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: 5.32 in modern English

Syllables: close up
IPA: /kləʊzˈʌp/

11

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

1

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To close (remove a gap) completely or fully.

Intransitive verb

verb

To move nearer together so that a gap is removed.

Intransitive verb

verb

To enclose, confine.

Transitive verb

verb

To shut a building or a business for a period of time.

verb

Of a cut or other wound: To heal.

Intransitive verb

verb

To become less 'open' or communicative; to shrink back.

Intransitive verb

verb

To stop talking.

Australian usage; Intransitive verb; Slang

Example Sentences

"Some flowers close up at night to stay protected from the cold."
"The crowd closed up and I couldn't get through to the train."
"In Sanʿa the Jews have been separated from the Mohammedan population for the last three hundred years, and closed up in a Ghetto apart from the main town."
"We finally managed to close up the shop for the night at about 10 o'clock."
"The car factory has closed up for the August holidays."
"With stitches, the cut should close up in a week to ten days."

Etymology

Dissimilated from Middle English upclosen (“to close up, stop up, seal”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: upclosen

Usage

Inflected Forms

closes up (present, singular) closing up (participle, present) closed up (participle, past) closed up (past)

Phrases

close up shop

Synonyms

close at close range clam up dummy up shut up belt up button up be quiet keep mum

Rhymes With

up act up what's up cup fucked up gross up yup lemon drop amp up pup sup dup

Questions

How do you pronounce close up?: The recorded pronunciation is /kləʊzˈʌp/.
What does close up mean?: To close (remove a gap) completely or fully.
Where does close up come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce close up

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “close up”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/kləʊzˈʌp/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “close up”.
Repeat and practice — Say “close up” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.