close in on
To enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapseTo enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse.
» The soldiers closed in on the hill.
Amastan · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRTranslations
2 languagesExamples
9 sentencesThe soldiers closed in on the hill.
The enemy troops closed in on the city.
This mental trap finally closed in on him.
Meaning
3 senses(idiomatic)To enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse.
Sometimes it feels like the walls are closing in on me.
(idiomatic)To catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit.
The police closed in on the suspect.
(idiomatic)To near a goal or completion.
I think we are closing in on the end of this project.
Forms
closes in on, closing in on, closed in on, closed in onirregular
| Base form | close in on · to close in on |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | closes in on |
| Present participle | closing in on |
| Past simple | closed in on |
| Past participle | closed in on |
Tenses
close in on · closed in on · will close in on · have closed in onPoint at a form to see it in a sentence.Tap a form to see it in a sentence.
Phrasal verbs
8 phrasal verbs- close down(endgültig) schließencerrar, clausurarfermer, faire fermerTo stop trading as a business.
- close inTo enclose, lock up inside something.
- close upTo close (remove a gap) completely or fully.
- close offTo seal or block the entrance to a road, an area, or a building so that people cannot enter.
- close in onenserrerotaczać, otoczyćTo enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse.
- close outTo terminate; to call the end of.
- close withUKTo fight in a battle with (someone).
- close roundUSTo surround (someone, something); to form a circle.
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Phrasal verbs: introduction — Because it is a phrasal verb
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.