close off
phrasal verb
closed off; closing off; closes off
: to not allow (something) to be used for a period of time : close
The city closed off the beach to tourists.
Half of the museum was closed off while they made the changes.
—sometimes used figurativelyHe closes himself off to new experiences.
Examples of close off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Flouting Japanese vernacular, this space is closed off via glass doors from the rest of the top floor of the two-story residence, so that the scents of a seafood tempura lunch don’t waft into the living room or the couple’s bedroom, down a long corridor.
—
Kurt Soller Josh Robenstone, New York Times, 17 May 2024
Recovery, investigation continue Crews onboard were able to warn officials about the malfunction, giving them time to close off the bridge to oncoming traffic before the crash.
—Sam Sweeney, ABC News, 14 May 2024
And now the State Lands Commission, a California government agency, is similarly trying to bar Khosla from closing off the beach to the public.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 13 May 2024
Voters can only vote in one party’s primary per election cycle, and individual parties can choose to close off their primary elections to unaffiliated voters.
—Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 10 May 2024
Police closed off a long stretch of East Capitol Expressway, between Seven Trees Boulevard and Tuers Road, for the remainder of Tuesday morning to allow traffic investigators to examine the scene.
—Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 7 May 2024
The Columbus Dispatch reported students leaving the ceremony walked by the area where the area was still closed off by yellow crime scene tape.
—Brian Brant, Peoplemag, 6 May 2024
Authorities briefly closed off downtown Sacramento streets after a suspicious package was discovered Monday morning outside the Sacramento County Administration Building.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 6 May 2024
Massachusetts Avenue, which runs in front of MIT, was closed off, diverting city buses on one of busiest local routes between Boston and Cambridge around the protest.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 4 May 2024
Kurt Soller Josh Robenstone, New York Times, 17 May 2024
Recovery, investigation continue Crews onboard were able to warn officials about the malfunction, giving them time to close off the bridge to oncoming traffic before the crash.
—Sam Sweeney, ABC News, 14 May 2024
And now the State Lands Commission, a California government agency, is similarly trying to bar Khosla from closing off the beach to the public.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 13 May 2024
Voters can only vote in one party’s primary per election cycle, and individual parties can choose to close off their primary elections to unaffiliated voters.
—Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 10 May 2024
Police closed off a long stretch of East Capitol Expressway, between Seven Trees Boulevard and Tuers Road, for the remainder of Tuesday morning to allow traffic investigators to examine the scene.
—Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 7 May 2024
The Columbus Dispatch reported students leaving the ceremony walked by the area where the area was still closed off by yellow crime scene tape.
—Brian Brant, Peoplemag, 6 May 2024
Authorities briefly closed off downtown Sacramento streets after a suspicious package was discovered Monday morning outside the Sacramento County Administration Building.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 6 May 2024
Massachusetts Avenue, which runs in front of MIT, was closed off, diverting city buses on one of busiest local routes between Boston and Cambridge around the protest.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 4 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'close off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Close off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/close%20off. Accessed 20 May. 2024.
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