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CLOSER
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
(baseball) a relief pitcher who can protect a lead in the last inning or two of the game
Synonyms:
closer; finisher
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("closer" is a kind of...):
fireman; relief pitcher; reliever (a pitcher who does not start the game)
Domain category:
ball; baseball; baseball game (a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "closer"):
slammer (a person who closes things violently)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A person who closes something
Example:
whoever is the closer has to turn out the lights and lock up
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Hypernyms ("closer" is a kind of...):
individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)
Derivation:
close (cease to operate or cause to cease operating)
II. (adverb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
(comparative of 'near' or 'close') within a shorter distance
Example:
getting nearer to the true explanation
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Domain usage:
comparative; comparative degree (the comparative form of an adjective or adverb)
Context examples:
'The reactions resulted mostly in strings that were closer to today's actual proteins and less in chains that included non-biological amino acids.
(Pre-life building blocks spontaneously align in evolutionary experiment, National Science Foundation)
Through a simple blood test, clinicians can now predict which patients are likely to suffer severe dehydrating diarrhoea and in need of closer medical attention.
(People with type A blood at most risk of severe diarrhoea, SciDev.Net)
High levels of silica in the rock could indicate ideal conditions for preserving ancient organic material, if present, so the science team wants to take a closer look.
(Curiosity Rover Inspects Unusual Bedrock, NASA)
The three fellows must have been watching us closer than we thought for, as we soon had proved.
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
If they would but lie closer we might find safety, even should the cog founder.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
She was driving to see him, I have no doubt, for they were closer than ever, and she never looked up nor saw the hand that I waved to her.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
But hark again, a little closer—put your heart in your ears, Mr. Utterson, and tell me, is that the doctor’s foot?
(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
The ability to develop mature cardiac tissue in such a short time is an important step in moving us closer to having reliable human tissue models for drug testing.
(Early stimulation improves performance of bioengineered human heart cells, National Institutes of Health)
Researchers have developed soft robotic devices driven by neuromuscular tissue that triggers when stimulated by light — bringing scientists one step closer to autonomous biobots.
(Researchers build microscopic biohybrid robots propelled by muscles, nerves, National Science Foundation)
As the corona shifted closer to the black hole, the gravity of the black hole exerted a stronger tug on the X-rays emitted by it.
(NuSTAR sees rare blurring of black hole light, NASA)
