closure

noun clo·sure \ˈklō-zhər\

: a situation or occurrence in which something (such as a business or factory) closes forever

: a feeling that something has been completed or that a problem has been solved

: a feeling that a bad experience (such as a divorce or the death of a family member) has ended and that you can start to live again in a calm and normal way

Full Definition of CLOSURE

archaic : means of enclosing : enclosure

: an act of closing : the condition of being closed <closure of the eyelids> <business closures>

: something that closes <pocket with zipper closure>

[translation of French clôture] : cloture

: the property that a number system or a set has when it is mathematically closed under an operation

: a set that consists of a given set together with all the limit points of that set

: an often comforting or satisfying sense of finality <victims needing closure>; also : something (as a satisfying ending) that provides such a sense

See closure defined for English-language learners

See closure defined for kids

Origin of CLOSURE

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin clausura, from clausus, past participle of claudere to close — more at close

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to CLOSURE

Synonyms: arrest, arrestment, cease, cessation, check, close, closedown, end, conclusion, cutoff, discontinuance, discontinuation, ending, expiration, finish, halt, lapse, offset, shutdown, shutoff, stay, stop, stoppage, surcease, termination

Antonyms: continuance, continuation

Rhymes with CLOSURE

crosier, osier

CLOSURE Defined for Kids

closure

noun clo·sure \ˈklō-zhər\

Definition of CLOSURE for Kids

: an act of closing <The weather forced a closure of the schools.>

: the condition of being closed <Closure of the business has been hard on the workers.>

Medical Dictionary

closure

noun clo·sure \ˈklō-zhər\

Medical Definition of CLOSURE

a : an act of closing up or condition of being closed up <closure of the eyelids> <early closure of fontanels and sutures—W. A. D. Anderson> b : a drawing together of edges or parts to form a united integument <wound closure by suture immediately after laceration>

: a cap, lid, or stopper for sealing a container (as a serum vial)

: the perception of incomplete figures or situations as though complete by ignoring the missing parts or by compensating for them by projection based on past experience

: an often comforting or satisfying sense of finality <therapy brought closure to the victim's family>