Word Confusion: Close vs Clothes vs Cloths

Plural for the noun: close
Gerund: closing

Third person present verb: closes
Past tense or past participle: closed
Present participle: closing

• With very little or no space in between
  • Dense
• Narrowly enclosed
• [Predic.; close to] Very near to (being or doing something)
• [With reference to a competitive situation] Won or likely to be won by only a small amount or distance
• Marked by similarity in degree, action, feeling, etc.

[Attrib.] Denoting a family member who is part of a person’s immediate family, typically a parent or sibling

• [Of a person or relationship] On very affectionate, confidential, or intimate terms
• [Of a connection or resemblance] Strong

[Of observation, examination, etc.] Done in a careful and thorough way

• Carefully guarded
• Not willing to give away money or information
  • Secretive

Uncomfortably humid or airless

[Phonetics; of a vowel] Another term for high in which sound is produced with the tongue relatively near the palate

Adverb:
In a position so as to be very near to someone or something ¹

• With very little space between

Noun:
The end of an event or of a period of time or activity ²

• [the close] The end of a day’s trading on a stock market
• [Music] The conclusion of a phrase
  • Cadence

The shutting of something, especially a door

An enclosed precinct surrounding a cathedral

Verb, intransitive:
Move or cause to move so as to cover an opening ²

• [close around/over] Come into contact with (something) so as to encircle and hold it

Bring or come to an end

• Finish speaking or writing

[Of a business, organization, or institution] Cease to be in operation or accessible to the public, either permanently or at the end of a working day or other period of time

Gradually get nearer to someone or something

Verb, transitive:
Move or cause to move so as to cover an opening ²

• Block up (a hole or opening)
• Bring two parts of (something) together so as to block its opening or bring it into a folded state
• [An electric circuit] Continuous

Bring or come to an end

• Bring (a business transaction) to a satisfactory conclusion

[Of a business, organization, or institution] Cease to be in operation or accessible to the public, either permanently or at the end of a working day or other period of time

• Remove all the funds from (a bank account) and cease to use it
• [Computing] Make (a data file) inaccessible after use, so that it is securely stored until required again

Bedclothes

• A piece of cloth for a particular purpose

[the cloth] The clergy

• The clerical profession

Her birthday and her wedding date were close together.

The months of living in close proximity to her were taking their toll.

We need a fabric with a closer weave.

This work spans over 1,300 pages of close print.

These animals are in close confinement.

On a good day the climate in L.A. is close to perfection.

She was close to tears.

The fleet pulled into a close formation of battleships.

The barn is so close to the house that you can hear the animals.

His birthday is in May, close to mine.

Was she a close relative?

They had been a close circle of friends.

She finished a close second.

There’s a family history of cancer in close relatives.

They had always been very close, with no secrets at all.

The college has close links with many other institutions.

Pay close attention to what your body is telling you about yourself.

We need to keep a close eye on this project.

His whereabouts are a close secret.

You’re very close about your work, aren’t you?

It was a close, hazy day.

It was very close in the dressing room.

The defining characteristic of a close vowel is that the tongue is positioned as close as possible to the roof of the mouth without creating a constriction (Close Vowel).

Adverb:
They stood close to the door.

He was holding her close.

Noun:
The afternoon drew to a close.

At the close, the Dow Jones average was down 13.52 points.

“A[n] antecedent phrase ends open or wants completion. A consequent phrase ends closed or completed” (Classical Guitar).

The door jerked to a close behind them.

“The north part of the Cathedral’s grassy inner close was once the main cloister of St Swithun’s Priory, off which lay the monks’ dormitory and chapter house” (Take).

Verb, intransitive:
She jumped into the train just as the doors were closing.

My fist closed around the weapon.

The concert closed with “Silent Night”.

We close with a point about truth.

The factory is to close with the loss of 150 jobs.

They plotted a large group of aircraft about 130 miles away and closing fast.

Verb, transitive:
They had to close the window because of the insects.

Stephen closed his ears to the sound.

Glass doors close off the living room from the hall.

Loretta closed her mouth, and Ron closed his book in shock.

This will cause a relay to operate and close the circuit.

The members were thanked for attending, and the meeting was closed.

He closed a deal with a metal dealer.

The country has been closed to outsiders for almost 50 years.

Mom closed her bank accounts.

Close out your drawer.

Close down your computer.

Minnie’s gonna need a lot more baby clothes.

There’s this new clothes shop in town.

Jeez, that guy is such a clothes horse!

We’ll just freshen up the bedclothes before Jimmy gets here.

That girl has got more clothes than Macy’s.

It’s wash day, kids. Get your clothes in the laundry.

The shelves were gaily covered with bright red cloth.

Wring out that dishcloth, Ella Mae, and wipe this table.

Get out the good tablecloth before you set the table.

I dunno. It said to wipe clean with a damp cloth.

Hush your mouth, Marty! He’s a man of the cloth.

1. Middle English, from the Old French clos (as noun and adjective), which is from the Latin clausum meaning enclosure and clausus meaning closed, a past participle of claudere.
2. Middle English from the Old French clos-, a stem of clore, which is from the Latin claudere meaning to shut.