1
as in ending
to bring (an event) to a natural or appropriate stopping point
the team closed out the season with major losses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in excluding
to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of
don't assume an attitude that closes out any possibility of a compromise
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in closing (down)
to stop the operations of
failing health forced the cardiologist to close out his practice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of closing out
By 2025, the former New York Yankee earned a spot in the starting rotation but struggled with consistency and closing out hitters.
—
Annie Heilbrunn, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
The lineup sparked immediate buzz across social media, with the group headlining opening night alongside Jaÿ-Z—a full-circle moment tracing back to their MTV Unplugged collaboration nearly 25 years ago—with Erykah Badu closing out the second night.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Update on Bud Wells After closing out decades of service publishing this weekly report, Bud still reviews cars on his own website and has a newsletter to report those out.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
The week is closing out soon, so don't leave without scoring a great deal.
—George Yang, PC Magazine, 19 Mar. 2026
These teams split winning on each other’s home court with Vanderbilt closing out the regular season beating Tennessee last week.
—ABC News, 13 Mar. 2026
Nicaragua was one pitch from closing out a 3-1 win, one pitch from dropping the Dutch to 0-2 in Pool D, one pitch from turning Sunday into a survival game.
—Noah Gulley, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
By way of comparison, the district on Tuesday also approved job reductions to protect the solvency of the district over the long term — closing out 657 central and regional office jobs — to achieve a savings of $150 million per year.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
Shoppers unexpectedly paused their spending in December from November, closing out the holiday shopping season and the year on a lackluster tone.
—Anne D'innocenzio, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
Annie Heilbrunn, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
The lineup sparked immediate buzz across social media, with the group headlining opening night alongside Jaÿ-Z—a full-circle moment tracing back to their MTV Unplugged collaboration nearly 25 years ago—with Erykah Badu closing out the second night.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Update on Bud Wells After closing out decades of service publishing this weekly report, Bud still reviews cars on his own website and has a newsletter to report those out.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
The week is closing out soon, so don't leave without scoring a great deal.
—George Yang, PC Magazine, 19 Mar. 2026
These teams split winning on each other’s home court with Vanderbilt closing out the regular season beating Tennessee last week.
—ABC News, 13 Mar. 2026
Nicaragua was one pitch from closing out a 3-1 win, one pitch from dropping the Dutch to 0-2 in Pool D, one pitch from turning Sunday into a survival game.
—Noah Gulley, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
By way of comparison, the district on Tuesday also approved job reductions to protect the solvency of the district over the long term — closing out 657 central and regional office jobs — to achieve a savings of $150 million per year.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
Shoppers unexpectedly paused their spending in December from November, closing out the holiday shopping season and the year on a lackluster tone.
—Anne D'innocenzio, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for closing out
Verb
-
Fresh from a marathon trip to Pakistan that failed to reach a deal for ending the war with Iran, Vice President JD Vance jetted to this Georgia college town for a campus tour organized by the conservative powerhouse Turning Point USA.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The administration says ending Tehran's nuclear program is one of its key goals in the war with Iran.—
Tucker Reals,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Inflation excluding food and energy, however, rose slightly less than forecasters had anticipated.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Many employees, excluding those at the most senior levels, also would be eligible for an annual step hike.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
New Zealand's finishing let it down on numerous occasions, notably when Jackson missed an open goal in the 51st minute.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Alex Vesia struck out the side in the ninth for his second save, finishing a game that breezed by in 2 hours, 3 minutes.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But Grundy is banking on movement in Congress to support a bill that strips back the 2025 hemp-banning language while also regulating intoxicating hemp more than the 2018 farm bill did to root out bad actors in the industry and make industrial hemp more stable in the long term.—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Apr. 2026
-
His own trajectory — from outright banning student use to cautious skepticism to daily reliance — tracks the arc many serious thinkers have traveled.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Cartoonist Satish Acharya drew Modi wearing a gag and shutting his eyes to news about the war.—
Omkar Khandekar,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The system can switch between robot models without shutting everything down.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This new round of chaos only feeds the anxiety that has enveloped the California Democratic Party for months, stirred by fears that the lack of a singular party front-runner might lead to two Republicans winding up on the November ballot.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Newsom is winding up eight years as governor with a mixed record at best.—
Tom Philp,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The shuttered mall turned into a canvas for graffiti artists after closing last year.—
Michele Gile,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Davis attended virtual loan-closing meetings wearing wigs, makeup and/or a head covering to disguise himself as players seeking loans, according to court documents.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In November 2024, the justices reversed a Court of Appeals decision and remanded the case back to Dakota County District Court for a new trial, concluding that jurors should have heard instructions on Baker’s claim of self-defense and defense of others.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
15 Apr. 2026
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Patrick O’Rourke, who represented Children’s Hospital Colorado, countered that Eckhart was right in determining the harm to the hospital outweighs the plaintiffs’ loss of care, but made a mistake in concluding the decision to stop the care was likely discrimination.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Closing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/closing%20out. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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