| English Dictionary |
CLOSED
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does closed mean?
• CLOSED (adjective)
The adjective CLOSED has 9 senses:
1. not open or affording passage or access
2. (set theory) of an interval that contains both its endpoints
3. not open
4. used especially of mouth or eyes
5. requiring union membership
6. with shutters closed
7. not open to the general public
8. not having an open mind
9. blocked against entry
Familiarity information: CLOSED used as an adjective is familiar.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
Not open or affording passage or access
Context example:
our neighbors peeped from behind closed curtains
Similar:
blocked (closed to traffic)
drawn (having the curtains or draperies closed or pulled shut)
stoppered ((of a container) having a stopper in the opening)
nonopening (not open; not opening)
Also:
obstructed (shut off to passage or view or hindered from action)
closed; shut; unopen (not open)
sealed (closed or secured with or as if with a seal)
Antonym:
open (affording free passage or access)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(set theory) of an interval that contains both its endpoints
Domain category:
math; mathematics; maths (a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement)
Antonym:
open ((set theory) of an interval that contains neither of its endpoints)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Not open
Synonyms:
Context example:
the door slammed shut
Also:
closed (not open or affording passage or access)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Used especially of mouth or eyes
Synonyms:
closed; shut
Context example:
his eyes were shut against the sunlight
Similar:
blinking; winking (closing the eyes intermittently and rapidly)
squinched; squinting (having eyes half closed in order to see better)
compressed; tight (pressed tightly together)
Antonym:
open (used of mouth or eyes)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Requiring union membership
Context example:
a closed shop
Similar:
union (of trade unions)
Sense 6
Meaning:
With shutters closed
Similar:
shuttered (provided with shutters or shutters as specified; often used in combination)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Not open to the general public
Context example:
a closed meeting
Similar:
restricted (subject to restriction or subjected to restriction)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Not having an open mind
Synonyms:
closed; unsympathetic
Context example:
a closed mind unreceptive to new ideas
Similar:
unreceptive (not receptive)
Sense 9
Meaning:
Blocked against entry
Synonyms:
closed; closed in
Context example:
a closed porch
Similar:
enclosed (closed in or surrounded or included within)
Context examples
The gate was then closed, and the girl found herself back in the old world close to her mother’s house.
(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)
Then gradually her eyes closed, and she sank to sleep.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
Wolf Larsen put his finger to his lips as a sign for silence, and the eyes closed again.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
She closed the door, locked it, and put the key carefully in the pocket of her dress.
(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)
At that time, you will begin to be able to talk more about the project you’ve been working on behind closed doors.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
As I moved away from them along the terrace, I could not help observing how steadily they both sat gazing on the prospect, and how it thickened and closed around them.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
But they also have an unusual characteristic important to DBC research; they are closed basins with no outlets.
(Antarctic lakes are a repository for ancient soot, NSF)
In other words, in adult mice, regions of the genetic code that are critical for regeneration are closed for business.
(Researchers unlock regenerative potential of cells in the mouse retina, National Institutes of Health)
As they developed, U. mongoliensis seeds were protected inside a tough, resinous, umbrella-like outer covering, which stayed almost completely closed, opening only to release the seeds.
(Paleontologists find fossil relative of Ginkgo biloba, NSF)
The collision of India with Asia closed off an ancient sea called the Tethys, where low-oxygen waters were formed, changing the oxygen and nitrogen balance of the oceans.
(Tectonic collision 50 million years ago led to widespread ocean changes, National Science Foundation)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past, Wisdom is of the future." (Native American proverb, Lumbee)
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