1
: near a center of activity and especially a city
close-in suburbs
2
: occurring or designed for use within a narrowly limited area
close-in fighting
close-in weapons
closed in; closing in; closes in
1
: to encircle closely and isolate
2
: to enshroud to such an extent as to preclude entrance or exit
the airport was closed in by the storm
1
: to gather in close all around with an oppressing or isolating effect
despair closed in on her
2
: to approach to close quarters especially for an attack, raid, or arrest
the police closed in
3
: to grow dark
the short November day was already closing in—
Ellen Glasgow
Ellen GlasgowSynonyms
Examples of close-in in a Sentence
Verb
the eagle closed in on its prey
with evening closing in we knew we had to find shelter fairly soon
Recent Examples on the Web
William Gavin, Quartz, 10 Dec. 2024
Again and again, Kornacki has shown us rural areas bathed in red on his map and urban or close-in suburbs that are firmly blue.
—Jen Chaney, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2024
The surprise came in the Midwest and Sunbelt, which saw a massive jump in exclusive zip codes — found in their urban centers, close-in suburbs, and fringe exurbs — in just a few years.
—Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 18 Oct. 2024
Golden Eagle - Heavy Strike The purpose of the Golden Eagle HS is to provide close-in air support to ground forces in rough country or urban areas.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for close-in 
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.
Adjective
Alaska cited strong close-in bookings for October and November and strong holiday demand, which is boosting December revenue.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 10 Dec. 2024
Again and again, Kornacki has shown us rural areas bathed in red on his map and urban or close-in suburbs that are firmly blue.
—Jen Chaney, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2024
The surprise came in the Midwest and Sunbelt, which saw a massive jump in exclusive zip codes — found in their urban centers, close-in suburbs, and fringe exurbs — in just a few years.
—Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 18 Oct. 2024
Golden Eagle - Heavy Strike The purpose of the Golden Eagle HS is to provide close-in air support to ground forces in rough country or urban areas.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for close-in
Dictionary Entries Near close-in
Cite this Entry
“Close-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/close-in. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
close in
verb
: to gather in close all around with an oppressing effect
despair closed in on her
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share