18 Idioms with “Close”

18 Idioms with “Close”

Hello, English learners. Welcome to a new lesson. We will look at 18 idioms with “close”.

1. Close at hand
2. Close call
3. Close ranks
4. Close-run
5. Close shave
6. Close the gap
7. Close to the mark
8. Close up shop
9. Close your eyes to something
10. Come close
11. Hit close to home
12. Hold your cards close to your chest
13. In close quarters
14. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer
15. Run close
16. Sail close to the wind
17. Up close
18. When one door closes, another opens

Close at hand

Meaning: something is near in space or time.

• I always keep my keys close at hand so I can leave quickly when I need it.

Close call

Meaning: refers to a situation where something bad, dangerous or unpleasant nearly happened but was narrowly avoided.

• I almost had an accident while riding a bike. What a close call! 

Close ranks

Meaning: to unite with others, especially in the face of criticism or pressure. Idioms with “Close”

• During the natural disaster, neighbors closed ranks by sharing food and helping each other.

Close-run

Meaning: used to describe a contest, race or election in which the outcome is decided by a very small margin.

• It was a close-run football match. The victory was decided in the last minute by a single, well-timed goal.

Close shave

Meaning: refers to a situation in which something dangerous and unpleasant was narrowly avoided. Idioms with “Close”

• During the mountain hike, we had a close shave with a rockslide that forced us to take a safer route.

Close the gap

Meaning: to reduce the difference between two things.

• The new educational reforms are designed to close the gap between urban and rural schools by providing more resources and support to underfunded areas.

Close to the mark

Meaning: refers to something that is almost correct or accurate.

• The weather report turned out to be close to the mark as it started raining just as predicted.

Close up shop

Meaning: to stop your activities, usually in the business context.

• The restaurant closes up shop during the winter months when customer traffic is very low.

Close your eyes to something

Meaning: to ignore a negative fact or situation even though it is obvious. Idioms with “Close”

• Sheila knew her friend was often unreliable, but she closed her eyes to it because she valued the relationship too much to confront her about it.

Come close

Meaning: can be used physically (move nearer to someone or something) or figuratively (be nearly as good as something).

• When the tour guide spoke, he asked the listeners to come close so everyone could hear.
• No modern smartphones come close to the classic models in terms of durability.

Hit close to home

Meaning: refers to a situation in which something affects someone deeply because it resonates with their personal experiences or emotions.

• I wasn’t prepared for how much the documentary would hit close to home – it forced me to confront memories I’d long avoided.

Hold your cards close to your chest

Meaning: to keep your plans and intentions secret. Idioms with “Close”

• When negotiating the contract, Michael held his cards close to his chest, revealing only what was necessary.

In close quarters

Meaning: refers to a situation where people or things are restricted or limited in a small place.

• During the drill, the soldiers trained in close quarters to simulate the pressures of urban combat.

Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer

Meaning: advises that you should not only maintain a good relationship with your allies but also closely watch those who might wish to undermine you.

• In the fiercely competitive tech industry, the CEO insisted on staying informed about rival companies. He believed in keeping his friends close but his enemies closer.

Run close

Meaning: to nearly match or challenge someone or something in performance, skill or ability. Idioms with “Close”

• The two candidates ran close in the debate, leaving the audience unsure about who had the stronger arguments.

Sail close to the wind

Meaning: to be engaged in activity that skirts the edge of acceptability.

• She knew that her unconventional marketing strategy was risky, but she preferred to sail close to the wind rather than play it safe and risk being overlooked.

Up close

Meaning: very near to something – physically or metaphorically. Idioms with “Close”

• We were in the zoo and we got to see the lions up close.

When one door closes, another opens

Meaning: when you experience bad luck or loss, a new opportunity will appear.

• After being laid off from his job, Jack reminded himself that when one door closes, another opens, and soon he found a position that was a perfect fit.

Idioms with “close”

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