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up close

adverb or adjective

Definition of up close

: at close range

First Known Use of up close

1653

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Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up up close? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

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WORD OF THE DAY

gauche

play

lacking social experience or grace

Words at Play

Words and Phrases That Come from the Dinner Table

Fill your plate with these surprising food words

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'Disinvite' or 'Uninvite'?

A disinvited guest is an uninvited problem

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Words We're Watching: 'Scoby'

Kombucha lovers unite.

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Words We're Watching: 'Fidget Spinner'

Don't fight the fad

Ask the Editors

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Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

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Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

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Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

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A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz

Name That Thing

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

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Syn City

Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.

Play the game