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
Lightrocket | Getty Images A day after closing out a blockbuster three months on Wall Street, high-flying chip stocks suffered steep declines to open the third quarter.
—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
1 July 2026
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
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
1 July 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for closing out
Verb
-
In its latest half-year earnings, published May 21, EasyJet reported a pre-tax loss of £552 million for the six months ending March 31, despite a 12% jump in half-year revenues to £4 billion, warning of price rises and slower bookings.
-
Efraín Juárez, then the coach of Pumas, was asked about the possibility of his team ending a long title drought.
Verb
-
Since May 1, New York state, excluding New York City, has seen 107 cases.
-
The labor force participation rate fell to its lowest level in half a century when excluding the pandemic, according to data released Thursday.
Verb
-
In 2017, it was announced that the jail would be shutting its doors for good.
-
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.
Verb
-
Sakenis blocked two shots after finishing 11th in Division 1 in blocks per game last season.
-
With just four laps remaining, there was every prospect of the race finishing under caution as there wouldn’t be time to reorder the cars and then conduct a restart.
Verb
-
Last year, the Supreme Court struck its first blow against transgender rights by upholding a Tennessee law banning transgender care, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, for minors.
-
This is not the first time the Supreme Court has dealt with a law banning children from accessing content online.
Verb
-
Hadley was very active, closing with seven points, 10 rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 24 minutes.
-
Oil prices, which skyrocketed for the first few months of the US-Israeli war with Iran, are now coming back down, closing a window of opportunity for Russia to use higher profits on its exports to close its widening budget deficit.
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 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
