"close in on" meaning in English

See close in on in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: en-au-close in on.ogg Forms: closes in on [present, singular, third-person], closing in on [participle, present], closed in on [participle, past], closed in on [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*|head=close in on}} close in on (third-person singular simple present closes in on, present participle closing in on, simple past and past participle closed in on)
  1. (idiomatic) To enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse. Tags: idiomatic Translations (to enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse): enserrer (French), otaczać [imperfective] (Polish), otoczyć [perfective] (Polish)
    Sense id: en-close_in_on-en-verb-Ae~p3koU Disambiguation of 'to enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse': 98 1 1
  2. (idiomatic) To catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit. Tags: idiomatic Translations (to catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit): se rapprocher (French), dopadać [imperfective] (Polish), dopaść [perfective] (Polish), knappa in på (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-close_in_on-en-verb-I3QyLYul Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English phrasal verbs formed with "in", English phrasal verbs formed with "on", Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with French translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 17 59 23 Disambiguation of English phrasal verbs formed with "in": 14 71 15 Disambiguation of English phrasal verbs formed with "on": 14 69 16 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 18 64 18 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 11 79 10 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 9 82 9 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 20 55 25 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 18 56 27 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 15 65 21 Disambiguation of 'to catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit': 1 97 2
  3. (idiomatic) To near a goal or completion. Tags: idiomatic Translations (to near a goal or completion): approcher (French), zbliżać się do końca [imperfective] (Polish), zbliżyć się do końca [perfective] (Polish)
    Sense id: en-close_in_on-en-verb-uwWOaJpG Disambiguation of 'to near a goal or completion': 2 4 94

Inflected forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "closes in on",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "closing in on",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "closed in on",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "closed in on",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*",
        "head": "close in on"
      },
      "expansion": "close in on (third-person singular simple present closes in on, present participle closing in on, simple past and past participle closed in on)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              38,
              51
            ]
          ],
          "text": "Sometimes it feels like the walls are closing in on me.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse."
      ],
      "id": "en-close_in_on-en-verb-Ae~p3koU",
      "links": [
        [
          "enclose",
          "enclose"
        ],
        [
          "around",
          "around"
        ],
        [
          "tighten",
          "tighten"
        ],
        [
          "shrink",
          "shrink"
        ],
        [
          "collapse",
          "collapse"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "98 1 1",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "lang_code": "fr",
          "sense": "to enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse",
          "word": "enserrer"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 1 1",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "to enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "otaczać"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 1 1",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "to enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "otoczyć"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "17 59 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "14 71 15",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs formed with \"in\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "14 69 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs formed with \"on\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "18 64 18",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 79 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 82 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 55 25",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "18 56 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "15 65 21",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              11,
              23
            ]
          ],
          "text": "The police closed in on the suspect.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit."
      ],
      "id": "en-close_in_on-en-verb-I3QyLYul",
      "links": [
        [
          "catch up",
          "catch up"
        ],
        [
          "chase",
          "chase"
        ],
        [
          "pursuit",
          "pursuit"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "1 97 2",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "lang_code": "fr",
          "sense": "to catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit",
          "word": "se rapprocher"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 97 2",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "to catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "dopadać"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 97 2",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "to catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "dopaść"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 97 2",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "to catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit",
          "word": "knappa in på"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              15,
              28
            ]
          ],
          "text": "I think we are closing in on the end of this project.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To near a goal or completion."
      ],
      "id": "en-close_in_on-en-verb-uwWOaJpG",
      "links": [
        [
          "goal",
          "goal"
        ],
        [
          "completion",
          "completion"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To near a goal or completion."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "2 4 94",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "lang_code": "fr",
          "sense": "to near a goal or completion",
          "word": "approcher"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 4 94",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "to near a goal or completion",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "zbliżać się do końca"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 4 94",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "to near a goal or completion",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "zbliżyć się do końca"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-close in on.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d3/En-au-close_in_on.ogg/En-au-close_in_on.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/En-au-close_in_on.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "close in on"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English phrasal verbs",
    "English phrasal verbs formed with \"in\"",
    "English phrasal verbs formed with \"on\"",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "closes in on",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "closing in on",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "closed in on",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "closed in on",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*",
        "head": "close in on"
      },
      "expansion": "close in on (third-person singular simple present closes in on, present participle closing in on, simple past and past participle closed in on)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              38,
              51
            ]
          ],
          "text": "Sometimes it feels like the walls are closing in on me.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "enclose",
          "enclose"
        ],
        [
          "around",
          "around"
        ],
        [
          "tighten",
          "tighten"
        ],
        [
          "shrink",
          "shrink"
        ],
        [
          "collapse",
          "collapse"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              11,
              23
            ]
          ],
          "text": "The police closed in on the suspect.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "catch up",
          "catch up"
        ],
        [
          "chase",
          "chase"
        ],
        [
          "pursuit",
          "pursuit"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              15,
              28
            ]
          ],
          "text": "I think we are closing in on the end of this project.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To near a goal or completion."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "goal",
          "goal"
        ],
        [
          "completion",
          "completion"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To near a goal or completion."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-close in on.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d3/En-au-close_in_on.ogg/En-au-close_in_on.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/En-au-close_in_on.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "to enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse",
      "word": "enserrer"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "to enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "otaczać"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "to enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "otoczyć"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "to catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit",
      "word": "se rapprocher"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "to catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "dopadać"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "to catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "dopaść"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "to catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit",
      "word": "knappa in på"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "to near a goal or completion",
      "word": "approcher"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "to near a goal or completion",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "zbliżać się do końca"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "to near a goal or completion",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "zbliżyć się do końca"
    }
  ],
  "word": "close in on"
}

Download raw JSONL data for close in on meaning in English (4.1kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-03-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-03-03 using wiktextract (05c257f and 9d9a410). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.