closes

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of close.

   The lid closes with a soft click when you press it down.

   He closes every meeting with a quick summary of the next steps.

   Note

   The present-tense form a singular subject takes: the door closes, she closes the shop. It works with or without an object. The lid closes on its own, but he closes the meeting. In technical use the direction of the meaning flips: a valve that closes stops a fluid, while a switch that closes lets electricity flow. The identical spelling also serves as the noun plural.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of close.

   Several closes branch off the main road near the old church.

   The map marked a dozen narrow closes tucked between the tenement blocks.

   Note

   Most of the noun's meanings are endings, so its plural appears where endings are counted or compared. A salesperson rehearses different closes, and a composer varies the closes of musical strains. In wrestling, closes are grapples. A determiner or number in front, as in the closes or two closes, tells this form apart from the verb.

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