close to
idiom
1
: almost or nearly
They spent close to half a million dollars on the project.
Our company employs close to a thousand workers.
I haven't seen her in close to a year.
2
British
: from a short distance : close up
She's even more beautiful when seen close to.
Examples of close to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Although these cuts would have affected close to 10 million Americans, the pool of people who receive old-age and survivor benefits is almost seven times as large.
—
Louis Jacobson, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
China’s love of European cinema peaked in 2017, when close to 35 million Chinese moviegoers bought a ticket for a European production, some 11.3 million for Luc Besson’s sci-fi spectacle Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and 6.3 million for Paddington 2.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2024
Bitcoin passed $94,000 for the first time, following reports that President-elect Donald Trump’s media company could be close to buying a cryptocurrency trading platform.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 20 Nov. 2024
And though Harris rode a wave of summer excitement, some close to her campaign said the team struggled to keep up the momentum into Election Day.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for close to 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Louis Jacobson, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
China’s love of European cinema peaked in 2017, when close to 35 million Chinese moviegoers bought a ticket for a European production, some 11.3 million for Luc Besson’s sci-fi spectacle Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and 6.3 million for Paddington 2.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2024
Bitcoin passed $94,000 for the first time, following reports that President-elect Donald Trump’s media company could be close to buying a cryptocurrency trading platform.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 20 Nov. 2024
And though Harris rode a wave of summer excitement, some close to her campaign said the team struggled to keep up the momentum into Election Day.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for close to
Dictionary Entries Near close to
Cite this Entry
“Close to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/close%20to. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share