closure

[ kloh-zher ]

noun

1. the act of closing; the state of being closed.
2. a bringing to an end; conclusion.
3. something that closes or shuts.
4. closer ¹( def 5 ).
5. an architectural screen or parapet, especially one standing free between columns or piers.
6. Phonetics. an occlusion of the vocal tract as an articulatory feature of a particular speech sound. Compare constriction ( def 5 ).
7. Parliamentary Procedure. a cloture.
8. Surveying. completion of a closed traverse in such a way that the point of origin and the endpoint coincide within an acceptably small margin of error. Compare error of closure.
9. Mathematics.
   1. the property of being closed with respect to a particular operation.
   2. the intersection of all closed sets that contain a given set.
10. Psychology.
    1. the tendency to see an entire figure even though the picture of it is incomplete, based primarily on the viewer's past experience.
    2. a sense of psychological certainty or completeness:

       a need for closure.

11. Obsolete. something that encloses or shuts in; enclosure.

verb (used with or without object)

, clo·sured, clo·sur·ing.

1. Parliamentary Procedure. to cloture.

closure

/ ˈkləʊʒə /

noun

1. the act of closing or the state of being closed
2. an end or conclusion
3. something that closes or shuts, such as a cap or seal for a container
4. (in a deliberative body) a procedure by which debate may be halted and an immediate vote taken See also cloture guillotine gag rule
5. 1. the resolution of a significant event or relationship in a person's life
   2. a sense of contentment experienced after such a resolution
6. geology the vertical distance between the crest of an anticline and the lowest contour that surrounds it
7. phonetics the obstruction of the breath stream at some point along the vocal tract, such as the complete occlusion preliminary to the articulation of a stop
8. logic
   1. the closed sentence formed from a given open sentence by prefixing universal or existential quantifiers to bind all its free variables
   2. the process of forming such a closed sentence
9. maths
   1. the smallest closed set containing a given set
   2. the operation of forming such a set
10. psychol the tendency, first noted by Gestalt psychologists, to see an incomplete figure like a circle with a gap in it as more complete than it is

verb

1. tr (in a deliberative body) to end (debate) by closure

Other Words From

• non·closure noun
• pre·closure noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of closure¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French < Latin clausūra. See close, -ure

Word History and Origins

Origin of closure¹

C14: from Old French, from Late Latin clausūra bar, from Latin claudere to close

Example Sentences

Trump reacted to Ibarra's guilty verdict, writing on Truth Social that he hopes the outcome of the trial "can bring some peace and closure to her wonderful family who fought for justice".

From BBC

Volkswagen is even contemplating the closure of factories in Germany, a step that would be unprecedented.

From BBC

Of the total responses, 72% stated they lost wages because of air quality or school closures that forced them to leave their jobs to pick up their children, and 14% were evacuated from their homes.

From Los Angeles Times

The closure of two undergraduate courses at a university is "demoralising" to staff, a union has said.

From BBC

"The effect will be to increase inflation, slow pay growth, cause shop closures, and reduce jobs, especially at the entry level."

From BBC

Related Words

• closing
• stoppage
• termination