closing

noun clos·ing \ ˈklō-ziŋ \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

Definition of closing

1 : a concluding part (as of a speech)

2 : a closable gap (as in an article of clothing)

3 : a meeting of parties to a real-estate deal for formally transferring title

See closing defined for English-language learners

See closing defined for kids

Examples of closing in a Sentence

the closing of the local school
We met with our lawyer before the closing on our new house.

Recent Examples of closing from the Web

Instead, the lights will go off after closing time and the keys to the space will be handed over to Anthony Strong, who made his name cooking at Locanda, Pizzeria Delfina and most recently, his short-lived delivery-only restaurant, Young Fava.

— justin phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, "Hog & Rocks closes as the Mission continues to change around it," 11 Apr. 2018
Per usual, Riverside Clubhouse opened at 3 p.m. on Monday, with a scheduled closing time of 9 p.m. No one commented on the pending changes.

— mark glover, sacbee, "Riverside Clubhouse ownership apparently changing hands | The Sacramento Bee," 9 Apr. 2018
Republicans have used the culture wars as their closing argument time and time again.

— tara golshan, Vox, "If taxes aren’t working, will desperate Republicans keep turning to race-based attacks?," 6 Apr. 2018
But beyond James' brilliance, Drew has noticed something else about the team that allows them to thrive in closing time.

— chris fedor, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers have fourth-quarter closer that other teams lack, leading them to doorstep of late-game history," 4 Apr. 2018
The goal of the new fad, which apparently started with two Belgian teens in 2016, is to sneak inside a store or restaurant just before closing time, and remain there undetected until the next day, the newspaper reported.

— benjamin brown, Fox News, "'24-hour overnight challenge' viral trend has teens, twentysomethings camping out in bizarre places," 4 Apr. 2018
Every two weeks, Jordie and his parents arrived at the barbershop near closing time when things were quieter.

— ashley vaughan, CNN, "A barber soothes a child with autism by singing -- and finds a new purpose," 30 Mar. 2018
In her closing argument, assistant U.S. attorney Sara Sweeney argued that this fact was irrelevant, because the initial target of the attack that Mateen and Salman had planned was not the Pulse nightclub, but rather, Disney World.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Noor Salman, Omar Mateen’s Widow, Acquitted in Pulse Shooting," 30 Mar. 2018
Prosecutors revealed the details during their closing arguments in the trial of Noor Salman, the widow of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen.

— NBC News, "Pulse nightclub shooter intended to attack Disney World, prosecutors say," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'closing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of closing

1596

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

closing Synonyms

CLOSING Defined for English Language Learners

closing

noun

Definition of closing for English Language Learners

: a situation or occurrence in which a business or organization shuts down and stops its operations
: the last part of a letter or speech
: a meeting in which the owners of a house formally give ownership of the house to other people

Law Dictionary

closing

noun clos·ing \ ˈklō-ziŋ \

legal Definition of closing

: the fulfillment or performance of a contract especially for the sale of real estate; also : a meeting at which the closing of a contract takes place

represented us at the closing

Note: At the closing for the completion of the sale of real property, the purchase price is paid and title is transferred to the purchaser or mortgagor.