cloture

1 of 2

noun

clo·​ture ˈklō-chər 

: the closing or limitation of debate in a legislative body especially by calling for a vote

cloture

2 of 2

verb

clotured; cloturing; clotures

transitive verb

: 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

Examples of cloture in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Simply stated, the filibuster lets a minority number of senators block passage of a bill until 60 of 100 of the full Senate agree to limit debate on legislation – a process known as cloture – and allow passage to proceed. —George Petras, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025

The filibuster is particularly effective when neither of the two parties has a majority of 60 seats or more, so a cloture vote is not guaranteed. —Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025

Under current Senate rules, a 60-vote supermajority is needed to invoke cloture and end debate. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025

But because of the 60-vote cloture threshold in the Senate, Republicans still need buy-in from Democrats to advance major must-pass legislation like government funding and the annual defense authorization bill. —Mike Lillis, The Hill, 18 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French clôture, literally, closure, alteration of Middle French closure

First Known Use

Noun

1871, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1886, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cloture

• poacher

Legal Definition

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