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 figuratively

He closes himself off to new experiences.

Examples of close off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Though the top of the building was originally intended to be open to the public, access has long been closed off. —Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 2 Feb. 2026

For those who view these shootings as unjustified, however, the federal government’s decision to close off the investigations only reinforces the belief that police accountability is a farce. —Diane Goldstein, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026

As people fled, government forces closed off the main exits of the market toward the street and directly shot at people trying to flee the flames, Saman said. —Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 27 Jan. 2026

After the deadly attacks and the Senate chamber breach, officials closed off some of the entrances to the Capitol building. —Aki Nace, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for close off

• cerenkov
• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff