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
Last week, a drone strike hit close to a WFP facility in the Blue Nile province, wounding a WFP worker, Brown said.
—
Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
Its nonprofit arm, Wild Impact, runs a boarding school for Maasai families that educates close to 600 children.
—Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026
Last week, a drone strike hit close to a WFP facility in the Blue Nile province, wounding a WFP worker, Brown also said.
—Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2026
These will help prevent moles from building their tunnels close to your plants.
—Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 7 Feb. 2026
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.
Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
Its nonprofit arm, Wild Impact, runs a boarding school for Maasai families that educates close to 600 children.
—Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026
Last week, a drone strike hit close to a WFP facility in the Blue Nile province, wounding a WFP worker, Brown also said.
—Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2026
These will help prevent moles from building their tunnels close to your plants.
—Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for close to
Cite this Entry
“Close to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/close%20to. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
