: the closing or limitation of debate in a legislative body especially by calling for a vote
clotured; cloturing; clotures
: to close (debate) in a legislative body by cloture
Debate over the bill was short Tuesday evening. After an initial debate Tuesday afternoon, Senate Republicans clotured debate when the bill returned later in the day.—
Brian Lyman
Brian LymanExamples of cloture in a Sentence
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Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
The vote was the second of two key votes that passed the bill:
The advance vote: The Senate voted 62-38 to end debate on the bill – a cloture vote – and advance it to a final vote.
—George Petras, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2025
And while the House requires only a simple majority, a 60-vote threshold is required to invoke cloture and advance most measures in the Senate, meaning the support of Democrats was needed to get the measure to ultimately pass.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2025
Kelly first reported Wednesday that Thune had agreed to file cloture on the bill on Thursday.
—Hans Nichols, Axios, 26 Feb. 2025
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Noun
This week, the congresswoman criticized some Senate Democrats for voting to invoke cloture, which ended the filibuster and paved the way for the legislation's passage.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
The vote was the second of two key votes that passed the bill:
The advance vote: The Senate voted 62-38 to end debate on the bill – a cloture vote – and advance it to a final vote.
—George Petras, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2025
And while the House requires only a simple majority, a 60-vote threshold is required to invoke cloture and advance most measures in the Senate, meaning the support of Democrats was needed to get the measure to ultimately pass.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2025
Kelly first reported Wednesday that Thune had agreed to file cloture on the bill on Thursday.
—Hans Nichols, Axios, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cloture
Cite this Entry
“Cloture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cloture. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
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cloture
noun
clo·ture
ˈklō-chər 
: the closing or limitation of debate in a legislative body especially by calling for a vote
cloture
transitive verb
Etymology
Noun
French clôture, literally, closure
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