# closure

Pronunciation: US say "KLOH-zhur" /ˈkloʊ.ʒɚ/; say "KLOH-zhuh" UK /ˈkləʊ.ʒə(ɹ)/, AUS /ˈkləʉ.ʒə(ɹ)/

## Noun

1. A sense of emotional completeness; the feeling that a difficult chapter has reached its conclusion.
   - Simple: The calm feeling you get when a hard or painful time is finally over.
   - _Years after the divorce, she sought closure by writing him one last letter._
   - _The verdict brought a measure of closure to the victim's grieving family._
2. The act of shutting or closing something, whether permanently or for a limited time.
   - Simple: The act of shutting something down, either for good or just for a while.
   - _The bridge closure caused traffic delays across the city for weeks._
   - _Local residents protested the closure of the public library._
3. An event or happening that marks or signals an ending.
   - Simple: An event that marks the end of something.
   - _The peace treaty served as the closure of a decades-long conflict._
   - _Her retirement party marked the closure of an era at the company._
4. The action of shutting; the process by which something becomes closed.
   - Simple: The action of shutting or closing something.
   - _The automatic closure of the valve stops the flow of water instantly._
   - _A gentle closure of the lid kept the contents fresh._
5. A device that allows something to be opened and closed repeatedly.
   - Simple: A part that lets you open and close something again and again.
   - _The container's screw-top closure keeps the contents airtight._
   - _Designers chose a sturdy zip closure for the new backpack._
6. A procedure for ending debate in a legislature and forcing an immediate vote on a measure.
   - Simple: A way to end a debate in parliament and force an immediate vote.
   - _The Speaker accepted a motion for closure, ending the marathon debate._
   - _Opposition members objected loudly when the majority moved for closure._
7. A function bundled together with the variables from the scope where it was created, which it can still use when called later.
   - Simple: A saved function that remembers the values around it from where it was made.
   - _The closure captured the loop variable, so each callback saw a different value._
   - _JavaScript developers rely on a closure to create private state inside a function._
8. Something that closes or shuts, especially a fastener that joins separate parts.
   - Simple: A part that fastens or holds two pieces together.
   - _The dress fastens with a hidden closure along the side._
   - _A strong closure held the two flaps of the tent together._
9. The smallest set that contains a given subset and also has some specified property.
   - Simple: The smallest set that holds a given group and also has a chosen property.
   - _The transitive closure of a relation adds exactly the pairs needed to make it transitive._
   - _Mathematicians compute the closure by intersecting all sets that satisfy the property._
10. The smallest closed set that contains a given set, including all of its limit points.
   - Simple: In math, the smallest closed set that fully contains a given set of points.
   - _The closure of the open disk includes the circle that bounds it._
   - _In a metric space, the closure of a set contains all of its limit points._
11. The process by which a group protects its resources by excluding outsiders according to chosen criteria.
   - Simple: A way a group keeps its benefits to itself by shutting outsiders out.
   - _Professional licensing can act as a form of social closure that limits who may practice._
   - _The association maintained closure by admitting only candidates from a handful of elite schools._
12. The part of a package that seals or reseals the opening of a container.
   - Simple: The part of a package that seals a container shut.
   - _The bottle's flip-top closure makes it easy to pour._
   - _Manufacturers added a tamper-proof closure to the medicine bottle._
13. The mental process by which a comic reader fills in the events that happen between the panels.
   - Simple: In comics, the way a reader fills in what happens between the panels.
   - _The artist left a wide gutter, trusting closure to let readers imagine the fall._
   - _Without closure, a row of separate panels would never read as a single story._

## Verb

14. To end debate on a measure in a legislature by forcing an immediate vote.
   - Simple: To stop a debate in parliament and force an immediate vote on it.
   - _The government moved to closure the bill after days of argument._
   - _Members agreed to closure the discussion and proceed straight to a vote._

## Noun

15. Something that encloses or confines; an enclosure or surrounding barrier. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A fence or wall that shuts something in.
   - _The cattle grazed within the closure the farmer had built of hedge and stake._
   - _Beyond the abbey wall lay a small closure where the monks grew their herbs._

## Origin

Closure came through Middle English and Old French from Late Latin clausura, ultimately from the Latin verb claudere, meaning "to close."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/closure (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).