at close quarters
idiom
: from a short distance
We were able to observe their behavior at close quarters.
Examples of at close quarters in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attack, Israeli officials stoked global outrage at the deaths of 1,200 on Oct. 7 by focusing intently on small children killed at close quarters.
—
Juwayriah Wright, TIME, 17 Aug. 2024
That gradual zooming in needs to be rewarded in an intensifying succession of detail; looking good on the skyline and dull at close quarters is a grave urban crime.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Oct. 2023
Shotguns feel particularly disappointing, rarely doing meaningful damage at close quarters to base-level enemies.
—Matt Gardner, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023
In some villages along the front, Ukrainian and Russian soldiers face off at close quarters, sometimes within eyesight of one another.
—New York Times, 11 May 2022
This could be an outstanding fight, especially if both fighters are aggressive and face off at close quarters.
—Josh Katzowitz, Forbes, 30 Apr. 2022
Trailside has no field trips planned this summer, because transporting campers at close quarters in vans increases the risk of spreading the coronavirus, Long-Leather said.
—Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 3 June 2020
Relations with parents-in-law, especially at close quarters and over extended periods, can be tricky to negotiate.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2022
Shotguns feel particularly disappointing, rarely doing meaningful damage at close quarters to base-level enemies.
—Matt Gardner, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023
Juwayriah Wright, TIME, 17 Aug. 2024
That gradual zooming in needs to be rewarded in an intensifying succession of detail; looking good on the skyline and dull at close quarters is a grave urban crime.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Oct. 2023
Shotguns feel particularly disappointing, rarely doing meaningful damage at close quarters to base-level enemies.
—Matt Gardner, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023
In some villages along the front, Ukrainian and Russian soldiers face off at close quarters, sometimes within eyesight of one another.
—New York Times, 11 May 2022
This could be an outstanding fight, especially if both fighters are aggressive and face off at close quarters.
—Josh Katzowitz, Forbes, 30 Apr. 2022
Trailside has no field trips planned this summer, because transporting campers at close quarters in vans increases the risk of spreading the coronavirus, Long-Leather said.
—Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 3 June 2020
Relations with parents-in-law, especially at close quarters and over extended periods, can be tricky to negotiate.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2022
Shotguns feel particularly disappointing, rarely doing meaningful damage at close quarters to base-level enemies.
—Matt Gardner, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'at close quarters.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near at close quarters
Cite this Entry
“At close quarters.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20close%20quarters. Accessed 24 Sep. 2024.
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