1
: a photograph or movie shot taken at close range
2
: an intimate view or examination of something
close-up
2 of 2adverb or adjective
: at close range
Synonyms
Adverb or adjective
Examples of close-up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
The video opens on a close-up of her bloodied thumb before zooming out to show Furtado still smiling.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 14 Apr. 2024
Two premium clubs will offer close-up views of horses being saddled under the Twin Spires.
—Kevin Draper Doug Mills, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Even when the screen would show a close-up of one of the players — Gordon, singer-guitarist Trey Anastasio, keyboardist Page McConnell and drummer Jon Fishman — the image would be warped almost beyond recognition.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Dan — and his happy little dance — got a lot of close-up shots as Kish explained just what in the world a supper club is to the nine contestants who don’t live in Wisconsin.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024
The close-up sonar image shows the bridge wreckage in the deepest part of the federal Port of Baltimore Shipping Channel and one of the Francis Scott Key Bridge's main supports.
—Luis Martinez, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Star Tours will now rocket guests straight to a moment that boasts a close-up with the purrgil, essentially large, mysterious space whales that move with a galactic grace.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
While many of the first feature’s memorable squeeze zooms, close-ups, sharp edits and wardrobe accents are included as callbacks for eagle-eyed fans, Allain-Marcus and his team also apply their own signature aesthetic flourishes.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Korin Miller, Women's Health, 20 Mar. 2023
One shot features a close-up of the bride, while the final image shows the pair in profile by the sea at sunset.
—Gawon Bae, CNN, 20 Mar. 2023
The first glimpse was a close-up shot of the tats, while the second showed the tattoo artist and Damon smiling post-ink session.
—Tracey Harrington McCoy, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2023
She’s introduced in motion and in close-up, during a hallway scuffle shot in a documentary-like style with handheld camera, available light and jumpy editing.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2023
The sequence opens with a close-up shot of Danny struggling to buckle his seatbelt outside of Forsters, a fictional DIY hardware store.
—Rachel Seo, Variety, 17 Mar. 2023
In the clip Eilish posted on Instagram, she and Dre are seen in extreme close-up discussing something ominous.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 17 Mar. 2023
Whitaker as a director relishes Bassett in close-up, to better study the grooves of her character’s internal life, reflected in her jaw going tight or a tilt of her head up to the sunlight.
—Vulture, 16 Mar. 2023
The opening panel of the first story is a close-up of a stunning, raven-haired woman, with earrings that (on the third or thirteenth read) turn out to be Thalia and Melpomene, the classical masks of comedy and tragedy.
—Ed Park, The New York Review of Books, 14 Mar. 2023
Noun
Makeup artist Jenna Nicole posted a close-up look at Sánchez’s glam, which featured a soft smokey eye and nude glossy lip.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
The video opens on a close-up of her bloodied thumb before zooming out to show Furtado still smiling.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 14 Apr. 2024
Two premium clubs will offer close-up views of horses being saddled under the Twin Spires.
—Kevin Draper Doug Mills, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Even when the screen would show a close-up of one of the players — Gordon, singer-guitarist Trey Anastasio, keyboardist Page McConnell and drummer Jon Fishman — the image would be warped almost beyond recognition.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Dan — and his happy little dance — got a lot of close-up shots as Kish explained just what in the world a supper club is to the nine contestants who don’t live in Wisconsin.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024
The close-up sonar image shows the bridge wreckage in the deepest part of the federal Port of Baltimore Shipping Channel and one of the Francis Scott Key Bridge's main supports.
—Luis Martinez, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Star Tours will now rocket guests straight to a moment that boasts a close-up with the purrgil, essentially large, mysterious space whales that move with a galactic grace.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
While many of the first feature’s memorable squeeze zooms, close-ups, sharp edits and wardrobe accents are included as callbacks for eagle-eyed fans, Allain-Marcus and his team also apply their own signature aesthetic flourishes.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Adverb or adjective
Swipe over to see a close-up of the look (and Kali’s abs) in the ‘fit, followed by headlines about her album.
—Korin Miller, Women's Health, 20 Mar. 2023
One shot features a close-up of the bride, while the final image shows the pair in profile by the sea at sunset.
—Gawon Bae, CNN, 20 Mar. 2023
The first glimpse was a close-up shot of the tats, while the second showed the tattoo artist and Damon smiling post-ink session.
—Tracey Harrington McCoy, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2023
She’s introduced in motion and in close-up, during a hallway scuffle shot in a documentary-like style with handheld camera, available light and jumpy editing.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2023
The sequence opens with a close-up shot of Danny struggling to buckle his seatbelt outside of Forsters, a fictional DIY hardware store.
—Rachel Seo, Variety, 17 Mar. 2023
In the clip Eilish posted on Instagram, she and Dre are seen in extreme close-up discussing something ominous.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 17 Mar. 2023
Whitaker as a director relishes Bassett in close-up, to better study the grooves of her character’s internal life, reflected in her jaw going tight or a tilt of her head up to the sunlight.
—Vulture, 16 Mar. 2023
The opening panel of the first story is a close-up of a stunning, raven-haired woman, with earrings that (on the third or thirteenth read) turn out to be Thalia and Melpomene, the classical masks of comedy and tragedy.
—Ed Park, The New York Review of Books, 14 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'close-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near close-up
Cite this Entry
“Close-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/close-up. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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