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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of closing out
As the clogged pipe grows louder, the camera begins uncomfortably zooming in on Rudd’s face until the pipe explodes in Ted's, closing out the episode.
—
Kirsten Acuna,
PEOPLE,
26 June 2026
The Twins believe the back end of a bullpen featuring Banda, Andrew Morris and Yoendrys Gómez, all of whom pitched a scoreless inning Wednesday, is plenty capable of closing out winnable games.
—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
25 June 2026
Both seniors are extremely busy, closing out their high school careers.
—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
The German director is presenting her new feature, The Dreamed Adventure, in the competition lineup, closing out the festival on the final Friday, May 22.
—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Rahe had pitched three innings and thrown 47 pitches in Thursday’s win over BYU before again closing out Friday’s contest for his ninth save.
—
Gary Bedore
may 15,
Kansas City Star,
15 May 2026
On this recent and unseasonably warm afternoon, Ronnie, 15, was tasked with closing out an hourlong lecture on free people of color in the Revolutionary War.
—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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
Kirsten Acuna,
PEOPLE,
26 June 2026
The Twins believe the back end of a bullpen featuring Banda, Andrew Morris and Yoendrys Gómez, all of whom pitched a scoreless inning Wednesday, is plenty capable of closing out winnable games.
—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
25 June 2026
Both seniors are extremely busy, closing out their high school careers.
—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
The German director is presenting her new feature, The Dreamed Adventure, in the competition lineup, closing out the festival on the final Friday, May 22.
—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Rahe had pitched three innings and thrown 47 pitches in Thursday’s win over BYU before again closing out Friday’s contest for his ninth save.
—
Gary Bedore
may 15,
Kansas City Star,
15 May 2026
On this recent and unseasonably warm afternoon, Ronnie, 15, was tasked with closing out an hourlong lecture on free people of color in the Revolutionary War.
—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for closing out
Verb
-
And a whistle was called for offside, ending the counterattack.
-
But that era is ending because memory is becoming the bottleneck.
Verb
-
The forecast includes only external sales, excluding those produced for prototypes, pre-order trials, or internal use.
-
Most of the state, excluding parts of northeast Arkansas, is under marginal risk of severe weather, a level one out of five, through Wednesday evening, the briefing said.
Verb
-
Although there’s been a little effort to pretty it up, like the series of murals installed in 2013 that were intended to capture the spirit of the track, it’s been doomed since around 2007, when Governor Eliot Spitzer proposed shutting it down.
-
Grape growers and winemakers are shutting their doors or are being forced to adapt their products and amend their marketing plans to accommodate changing consumer demands.
Verb
-
But according to master distiller Brent Elliott, this cask finishing project started well before either of those things were a reality.
-
Group placement is key — since the higher the finishing spot in the group, the more favorable the matchup (theoretically) in the next stage.
Verb
-
Transgender athletes The court heard arguments in January over the legality of laws in Idaho and West Virginia banning transgender athletes from female sports teams at public schools including universities.
-
While banning bots may help to some extent, Sng said that policies alone may not be effective.
Verb
-
Conwell, who turned 22 on June 15 and watched the draft from his hometown of Indianapolis, began his college career South Florida before transferring to Indiana State for his sophomore season and Xavier for his junior season, and then closing his college career at Louisville.
-
The stock has plummeted since, closing at $153 on Thursday after topping $225 last week, and Musk has lost his trillionaire status.
Verb
-
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.
-
Newsom is winding up eight years as governor with a mixed record at best.
Verb
-
The defender, a former member of MLS’ Orlando City SC and who now patrols the backline at La Liga club Villarreal in Spain, has rewarded the coach by helping shut down Paraguay a week ago and shutting out Australia here in Seattle.
-
The Reds got the best of the Mets yesterday, putting up 12 unanswered runs and shutting out New York.
Cite this Entry
“Closing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/closing%20out. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
