close-up

1 of 2

noun

1
: a photograph or movie shot taken at close range
2
: an intimate view or examination of something

close-up

2 of 2

adverb or adjective

: at close range

Examples of close-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The magazine carried a close-up photo of his lifeless upper body, the kind of cinéma vérité that American papers largely avoid. Bill McGraw, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2024 The close-ups showed a massive volcanic plume shooting from the moon’s surface, suggesting that Io wasn’t as geologically dead as traditionally thought. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024 Just after lunch, Baldwin and Hutchins were rehearsing a scene that was meant to be a camera close-up of Baldwin — who was playing a hardened outlaw, Harland Rust — slowly pulling his Colt .45 revolver from his shoulder holster while sitting in a pew in a rustic church. Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 The special effects are slicker than the original movie’s, and the trailer suggests this version will be even gorier with close-ups of bad guys’ brains splattering all over the floor when Draven shoots them, hunting down each person who was responsible for his and Webster’s deaths. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024 Other photos showed the player beaming while his partner covered his eyes and a close-up of the two holding hands. Chris Lau, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 The photos in his announcement post include a second shot of Morrell looking surprised and excited when Cavallo proposed, and a black-and-white, close-up image of the fiancés holding hands with the engagement ring on Morrell's finger. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024 Photo : Mecum Auctions A close-up of the car’s air-conditioning controls and radio. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2024 The show ended with a close-up of Tony’s face before the image cut to black. Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 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.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb Or Adjective

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of close-up was in 1913

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 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

close-up

noun
ˈklōs-ˌəp
: a photograph or movie shot taken at close range

More from Merriam-Webster on close-up

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