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

The face stuff was the thing I was most worried about, because when you have close up shots of a Lego minifig crying, is that going to be emotional?

From BBC

“We’re continuing to work diligently... to get this fire suppressed, to get things mopped up, to get things closed up and get things things ready for people to come back in,” Gardner said.

From Los Angeles Times

"South Africa are going to close up shop now," he said on Sportsound.

From BBC

One evening he was closing up and they invited him to join them - at a local strip club.

From BBC

"We were there to see the natural world and we wanted to see, but I didn't want to see that close up," he said.

From BBC

Related Words

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