CLOSURE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does closure mean? 

• CLOSURE (noun)
  The noun CLOSURE has 7 senses:

1. approaching a particular destination; a coming closer; a narrowing of a gap

2. a rule for limiting or ending debate in a deliberative body

3. a Gestalt principle of organization holding that there is an innate tendency to perceive incomplete objects as complete and to close or fill gaps and to perceive asymmetric stimuli as symmetric

4. something settled or resolved; the outcome of decision making

5. an obstruction in a pipe or tube

6. the act of blocking

7. termination of operations

  Familiarity information: CLOSURE used as a noun is common.

• CLOSURE (verb)
  The verb CLOSURE has 1 sense:

1. terminate debate by calling for a vote

  Familiarity information: CLOSURE used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CLOSURE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Approaching a particular destination; a coming closer; a narrowing of a gap

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

closing; closure

Context example:

the ship's rapid rate of closing gave them little time to avoid a collision

Hypernyms ("closure" is a kind of...):

approach; approaching; coming (the act of drawing spatially closer to something)

Derivation:

close (draw near)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A rule for limiting or ending debate in a deliberative body

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

closure; cloture; gag law; gag rule

Hypernyms ("closure" is a kind of...):

order; parliamentary law; parliamentary procedure; rules of order (a body of rules followed by an assembly)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "closure"):

closure by compartment; guillotine (closure imposed on the debate of specific sections of a bill)

Derivation:

closure (terminate debate by calling for a vote)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A Gestalt principle of organization holding that there is an innate tendency to perceive incomplete objects as complete and to close or fill gaps and to perceive asymmetric stimuli as symmetric

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

closure; law of closure

Hypernyms ("closure" is a kind of...):

Gestalt law of organization; Gestalt principle of organization (a principle of Gestalt psychology that identifies factors leading to particular forms of perceptual organization)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Something settled or resolved; the outcome of decision making

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

closure; resolution; settlement

Context example:

he needed to grieve before he could achieve a sense of closure

Hypernyms ("closure" is a kind of...):

deciding; decision making (the cognitive process of reaching a decision)

Sense 5

Meaning:

An obstruction in a pipe or tube

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

block; blockage; closure; occlusion; stop; stoppage

Context example:

we had to call a plumber to clear out the blockage in the drainpipe

Hypernyms ("closure" is a kind of...):

impediment; impedimenta; obstructer; obstruction; obstructor (any structure that makes progress difficult)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "closure"):

breech closer; breechblock (a metal block in breech-loading firearms that is withdrawn to insert a cartridge and replaced to close the breech before firing)

plug; stopper; stopple (blockage consisting of an object designed to fill a hole tightly)

vapor lock; vapour lock (a stoppage in a pipeline caused by gas bubbles (especially a stoppage that develops in hot weather in an internal-combustion engine when fuel in the gas line boils and forms bubbles that block the flow of gasoline to the carburetor))

Sense 6

Meaning:

The act of blocking

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

blockage; closure; occlusion

Hypernyms ("closure" is a kind of...):

obstruction (the act of obstructing)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "closure"):

implosion (the initial occluded phase of a stop consonant)

Derivation:

close (move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut)

close (fill or stop up)

close (bar access to)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Termination of operations

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

closedown; closing; closure; shutdown

Context example:

they regretted the closure of the day care center

Hypernyms ("closure" is a kind of...):

conclusion; ending; termination (the act of ending something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "closure"):

plant closing (act of shutting down operation of a plant)

bank closing (act of closing down a bank because of a fiscal emergency or failure)

layoff (the act of laying off an employee or a work force)

Derivation:

close (cause a window or an application to disappear on a computer desktop)

close (finish or terminate (meetings, speeches, etc.))

close (cease to operate or cause to cease operating)

• CLOSURE (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Terminate debate by calling for a vote

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

closure; cloture

Context example:

cloture the discussion

Hypernyms (to "closure" is one way to...):

end; terminate (bring to an end or halt)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

closure (a rule for limiting or ending debate in a deliberative body)

 Context examples 

A plastic vessel with a narrow neck designed to accept a specific closure.

(Plastic Bottle, NCI Thesaurus)

A closure with a lid that is hinged to the top of a closure and opens to expose a dispensing orifice.

(Hinged Dispensing Plastic Container Closure, Food and Drug Administration)

Dysfunction of the pulmonary valve characterized by incomplete valve closure that is present at birth.

(Congenital Pulmonary Valve Insufficiency, NCI Thesaurus)

The main features of this syndrome involve retinal abnormalities and this protein may play an important role in retinal structure and in neural tube closure.

(Collagen XVIII (Alpha 1), NCI Thesaurus)

Plastic closure that is designed or constructed to be significantly difficult for children under five years of age to open and not difficult for normal adults to use properly.

(Child Resistant Plastic Container Closure, Food and Drug Administration)

A closure that incorporates a specific molded-in feature such as rings, plugs or flexible sections.

(Linerless Plastic Container Closure, Food and Drug Administration)

Placement of product into its primary container/closure system .

(Container/Closure Packaging, NCI Thesaurus)

Metal closure turned onto a corresponding thread on the top or mouth of a container, whether it be glass, plastic or metal.

(Continuous Thread Metal Container Closure, Food and Drug Administration)

A hinged single or dual flap closure for controlled product dispensing.

(Flip-Top Dispensing Plastic Container Closure, Food and Drug Administration)

A glass vessel with a narrow neck designed to accept a specific closure.

(Glass Bottle, NCI Thesaurus)