close up

fermer

Fermer un bâtiment ou un commerce et bien verrouiller les accès en partant, généralement jusqu’à la prochaine ouverture.

En anglais simple : To shut and secure a building or business when people leave, usually until it opens again.

• We close up at six.
• She closed up the shop and went home.
• Have they closed up for the night?

Comment l'utiliser : close up for something (The café closed up for the winter.)

Synonymes : shut, close

Contraires : open up

Expressions courantes : close up shop, close up for winter

fermer, boucher

Fermer complètement quelque chose ou faire disparaître une ouverture.

En anglais simple : To shut completely or make an opening disappear.

• The flowers close up at night.
• We closed up the hole in the wall.
• The opening closes up when you release the handle.

Comment l'utiliser : close something up (They closed the hole up with cement.)

Synonymes : seal, shut

Contraires : open up

Expressions courantes : close up a gap, close up a hole

se resserrer, serrer les rangs

Se rapprocher les uns des autres jusqu’à ne laisser presque aucun espace entre les personnes ou les choses.

En anglais simple : To move closer together until there is little or no space between people or things.

• The crowd closed up around us.
• Please close up so everyone can fit in.
• The soldiers closed up their ranks as they marched.

Synonymes : bunch together, move together

Contraires : spread out

Expressions courantes : close up the ranks, close up together

se refermer, cicatriser

Pour une plaie, se refermer à mesure que ses bords se rejoignent pendant la guérison.

En anglais simple : If a wound does this, its edges join and the opening disappears as it heals.

• The cut is closing up.
• Her wound closed up after a few days.
• Has the small hole closed up yet?

Synonymes : heal, seal over

Contraires : reopen

Expressions courantes : close up naturally, close up completely

se renfermer, se replier sur soi

Cesser de parler librement ou de montrer ses sentiments, souvent parce qu’on se sent blessé ou mal à l’aise.

En anglais simple : To stop talking freely or showing your feelings, often because you feel hurt or uncomfortable.

• He closed up when I asked about school.
• She tends to close up around strangers.
• Why do you close up whenever we discuss your family?

Synonymes : withdraw, clam up

Contraires : open up

Expressions courantes : close up emotionally, close up around someone

enfermer, confiner

Garder quelqu’un ou quelque chose dans un espace fermé.

En anglais simple : To keep someone or something inside a closed space.

• They closed him up in a room.
• The animals were closed up inside a small shed.
• She feared being closed up between those stone walls.

Comment l'utiliser : close someone/something up in something (The prisoners were closed up in a dark cell.)

Synonymes : confine, shut in, enclose

Contraires : release

Expressions courantes : close up someone, close up in something