close-up

or close·up

[ klohs-uhp ]

noun

1. a photograph taken at close range or with a long focal-length lens, on a relatively large scale.
2. Also called close shot. Movies, Television. a camera shot taken at a very short distance from the subject, to permit a close and detailed view of an object or action. Compare long shot ( def 3 ), medium shot.
3. an intimate view or presentation of anything.

adjective

1. of or resembling a close-up.
2. intimate or detailed; close-in.

close-up

/ ˈkləʊsˌʌp /

noun

1. a photograph or film or television shot taken at close range
2. a detailed or intimate view or examination

   a close-up of modern society

verb

1. to shut entirely
2. intr to draw together

   the ranks closed up

3. intr (of wounds) to heal completely

Word History and Origins

Origin of close-up¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1910–15; noun use of adverbial phrase close up

Idioms and Phrases

Also, close up shop . Stop doing business, temporarily or permanently; also, stop working. For example, The bank is closing up all its overseas branches , or That's enough work for one day—I'm closing up shop and going home . [Late 1500s]

Example Sentences

As the star becomes fainter, taking other close-up pictures of it is becoming increasingly difficult, even for the VLTI.

From Science Daily

The images, resembling a close-up of the moon, revealed that upon stimulation, these two proteins rearranged and moved closer together.

From Science Daily

It’ll look like you shot a close-up image of the moon through a big telescope.

From National Geographic Kids

The ringside doctor took a look at Serrano after another clash of heads in the fifth, as the crowd gasped at the close-up on the big screen.

From BBC

That close-up of Bono is startling to behold.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cut off
• gag
• muffle
• mute
• muzzle
• quash
• quell
• squelch
• stifle
• subdue
• suppress