The difference between Close and Open
When used as nouns, close means an end or conclusion, whereas open means a sports event in which anybody can compete.
When used as verbs, close means to remove a gap. to obstruct (an opening). to move so that an opening is closed. to make (e.g. a gap) smaller. to grapple, whereas open means to make something accessible or allow for passage by moving from a shut position.
When used as adjectives, close means closed, shut, whereas open means not closed.
check bellow for the other definitions of Close and Open
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Close as a verb (physical):
To remove a gap. To obstruct (an opening). To move so that an opening is closed. To make (e.g. a gap) smaller. To grapple; to engage in close combat.
Examples:
"'Close the door behind you when you leave."
"Jim was listening to headphones with his eyes closed."
"The runner in second place is closing the gap on the leader."
"to close the ranks of an army"
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Close as a verb (social):
To finish, to terminate. To put an end to; to conclude; to complete; to finish; to consummate. To come to an end. To make a sale. To make the final outs, usually three, of a game. To terminate an application, window, file or database connection, etc.
Examples:
"'close the session;   to close a bargain;   to close a course of instruction"
"The debate closed at six o'clock."
"He has closed the last two games for his team."
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Close as a verb:
To come or gather around; to enclose; to encompass; to confine.
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Close as a verb (surveying):
To have a vector sum of 0; that is, to form a closed polygon.
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Close as a noun:
An end or conclusion.
Examples:
"We owe them our thanks for bringing the project to a successful close."
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Close as a noun:
The manner of shutting; the union of parts; junction.
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Close as a noun:
A grapple in wrestling.
Examples:
"rfquotek Francis Bacon"
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Close as a noun (music):
The conclusion of a strain of music; cadence.
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Close as a noun (music):
A double bar marking the end.
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Close as an adjective (now, rare):
Closed, shut.
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Close as an adjective:
Narrow; confined.
Examples:
"a close alley; close quarters"
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Close as an adjective:
At a little distance; near.
Examples:
"Is your house close?"
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Close as an adjective (legal):
Intimate; well-loved. Of a corporation or other business entity, closely held.
Examples:
"He is a close friend."
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Close as an adjective:
Oppressive; without motion or ventilation; causing a feeling of lassitude.
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Close as an adjective (Ireland, England, Scotland, weather):
Hot, humid, with no wind.
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Close as an adjective (linguistics, phonetics, of a vowel):
Articulated with the tongue body relatively close to the hard palate.
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Close as an adjective:
Strictly confined; carefully guarded.
Examples:
"a close prisoner"
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Close as an adjective (obsolete):
Out of the way of observation; secluded; secret; hidden.
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Close as an adjective:
Nearly equal; almost evenly balanced.
Examples:
"a close contest"
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Close as an adjective:
Short.
Examples:
"to cut grass or hair close"
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Close as an adjective (archaic):
Dense; solid; compact.
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Close as an adjective (archaic):
Concise; to the point.
Examples:
"close reasoning"
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Close as an adjective (dated):
Difficult to obtain.
Examples:
"Money is close."
"rfquotek Bartlett"
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Close as an adjective (dated):
Parsimonious; stingy.
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Close as an adjective:
Adhering strictly to a standard or original; exact.
Examples:
"a close translation"
"rfquotek John Locke"
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Close as an adjective:
Accurate; careful; precise; also, attentive; undeviating; strict.
Examples:
"The patient was kept under close observation."
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Close as an adjective:
Marked, evident.
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Close as a noun (now, rare):
An enclosed field.
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Close as a noun (British):
A street that ends in a dead end.
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Close as a noun (Scotland):
A very narrow alley between two buildings, often overhung by one of the buildings above the ground floor.
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Close as a noun (Scotland):
The common staircase in a tenement.
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Close as a noun:
A cathedral close.
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Close as a noun (legal):
The interest which one may have in a piece of ground, even though it is not enclosed.
Examples:
"rfquotek Bouvier"
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Open as an adjective (not comparable):
Not closed; accessible; unimpeded.
Examples:
"Turn left after the second open door."
"It was as if his body had gone to sleep standing up and with his eyes open."
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Open as an adjective:
Not drawn together, closed, or contracted; extended; expanded.
Examples:
"an open hand; an open flower; an open prospect"
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Open as an adjective (not comparable):
Actively conducting or prepared to conduct business.
Examples:
"Banks are not open on bank holidays."
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Open as an adjective (comparable):
Receptive.
Examples:
"I am open to new ideas."
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Open as an adjective (not comparable):
Public
Examples:
"He published an open letter to the governor on a full page of the New York Times."
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Open as an adjective (not comparable):
Candid, ingenuous, not subtle in character.
Examples:
"The man is an open book."
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Open as an adjective (mathematics, logic, of a [[formula]]):
Having a free variable.
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Open as an adjective (mathematics, topology, of a [[set]]):
Which is part of a predefined collection of subsets of X, that defines a topological space on X.
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Open as an adjective (graph theory, of a [[walk]]):
Whose first and last vertices are different.
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Open as an adjective (computing, not comparable, of a file, document, etc.):
In current use; mapped to part of memory.
Examples:
"I couldn't save my changes because another user had the same file open."
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Open as an adjective (business):
Not fulfilled.
Examples:
"I've got open orders for as many containers of red durum as you can get me."
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Open as an adjective:
Not settled or adjusted; not decided or determined; not closed or withdrawn from consideration.
Examples:
"an open question"
"to keep an offer or opportunity open"
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Open as an adjective (music, stringed instruments):
Of a note, played without pressing the string against the fingerboard.
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Open as an adjective:
Not of a quality to prevent communication, as by closing waterways, blocking roads, etc.; hence, not frosty or inclement; mild; used of the weather or the climate.
Examples:
"an open winter"
"rfquotek Francis Bacon"
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Open as an adjective (phonetics):
Uttered with a relatively wide opening of the articulating organs; said of vowels.
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Open as an adjective (phonetics):
Uttered, as a consonant, with the oral passage simply narrowed without closure.
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Open as an adjective (phonetics, of a syllable):
That ends in a vowel; not having a coda.
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Open as an adjective (computing):
Made public, usable with a free licence.
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Open as an adjective (medicine):
Resulting from an incision, puncture or any other process by which the skin no longer protects an internal part of the body.
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Open as a verb (transitive):
To make something accessible or allow for passage by moving from a shut position.
Examples:
"Turn the doorknob to open the door."
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Open as a verb (transitive):
To make (an open space, etc.) by clearing away an obstacle or obstacles, in order to allow for passage, access, or visibility.
Examples:
"He opened a path through the undergrowth."
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Open as a verb (transitive):
To bring up, broach.
Examples:
"I don't want to open that subject."
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Open as a verb (transitive):
To enter upon, begin.
Examples:
"to open a discussion"
"to open fire upon an enemy"
"to open trade, or correspondence"
"to open a case in court, or a meeting"
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Open as a verb (transitive):
To spread; to expand into an open or loose position.
Examples:
"to open a closed fist"
"to open matted cotton by separating the fibres"
"to open a map, book, or scroll"
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Open as a verb (transitive):
To make accessible to customers or clients.
Examples:
"I will open the shop an hour early tomorrow."
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Open as a verb (transitive):
To start (a campaign).
Examples:
"Vermont will open elk hunting season next week."
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Open as a verb (intransitive):
To become open.
Examples:
"The door opened all by itself."
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Open as a verb (intransitive):
To begin conducting business.
Examples:
"The shop opens at 9:00."
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Open as a verb (intransitive, cricket):
To begin a side's innings as one of the first two batsmen.
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Open as a verb (intransitive, poker):
To bet before any other player has in a particular betting round in a game of poker.
Examples:
"After the first two players fold, Julie opens for $5."
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Open as a verb (transitive, intransitive, poker):
To reveal one's hand.
Examples:
"Jeff opens his hand revealing a straight flush."
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Open as a verb (computing, transitive, intransitive, of a file, document, etc.):
To load into memory for viewing or editing.
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Open as a verb (obsolete):
To disclose; to reveal; to interpret; to explain.
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Open as a noun:
A sports event in which anybody can compete; as, the Australian Open.
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Open as a noun (electronics):
A wire that is broken midway.
Examples:
"The electrician found the open in the circuit after a few minutes of testing."
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Open as a noun:
(with the) Open or unobstructed space; an exposed location.
Examples:
"I can't believe you left the lawnmower out in the open when you knew it was going to rain this afternoon!"
"Wary of hunters, the fleeing deer kept well out of the open, dodging instead from thicket to thicket."
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Open as a noun:
(with the) Public knowledge or scrutiny; full view.
Examples:
"We have got to bring this company's corrupt business practices into the open."
Compare words:
Compare with synonyms and related words:
- close vs close off
- close vs close up
- close vs cover
- close vs shut
- close vs shut off
- close vs shut
- close vs narrow
- close vs open
- close vs open
- close vs extend
- close vs widen
- close vs end
- close vs finish
- close vs terminate
- close vs wind up
- close vs close down
- close vs close out
- close vs exit
- begin vs close
- close vs commence
- close vs initiate
- close vs start
- close vs open
- close vs start
- close vs end
- close vs finale
- beginning vs close
- close vs start
- close vs close by
- close vs near
- close vs nearby
- close vs distant
- close vs far
- close vs faraway
- close vs far off
- close vs remote
- close vs intimate
- aloof vs close
- close vs cool
- close vs distant
- close vs muggy
- close vs oppressive
- close vs high
- close vs open
- close vs cul-de-sac
- accessible vs open
- open vs unimpeded
- closed vs open
- open vs shut
- free vs open
- closed vs open
- checked vs open
- crack vs open
- close vs open
- open vs shut