close off

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

Visitors walk past a habitat closed off to the public where four beluga whales relocated from a facility in Canada are getting acclimated at Shedd Aquarium on July 23, 2026, in Chicago. — Emily Hoerner, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026

But our response to the unpleasant experience of cringing encourages us to close off those possibilities and to distance ourselves from the object of our cringe. — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 3 Nov. 2026

The primary suite had occupied the entire top floor and had an open bathroom, which Senter prudishly chose to close off. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 3 Nov. 2026

Every aspect of the program has been more insular and closed off. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026

Rhymes for close off

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