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

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According to the Council on Foreign Relations, sharia — meaning the correct path in Arabic — refers to the divine counsel that Muslims follow to be close to God and live moral lives. Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Jan. 2026 Rangers fans tried throwing hats to no avail; the seats were too far from the ice for any of them to get even close to the playing surface. CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026 If in a forest, stay close to lower trees. Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 3 Jan. 2026 Coulibaly had come agonisingly close to achieving his dream of representing Ivory Coast. Jay Harris, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for close to

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“Close to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/close%20to. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.

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