close-up

1 of 2

noun

1
: a photograph or movie shot taken at close range
2
: an intimate view or examination of something

close-up

2 of 2

adverb or adjective

: at close range

Examples of close-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The show ended with a close-up of Tony’s face before the image cut to black. Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 The video featured a close-up of her face before receiving the injections, followed by the immediate results. Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 Photo : Mecum Auctions A close-up of the gear shifter for the six-speed manual transmission. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024 Montoya also testified that the production had no policies in place to prevent dummy ammunition — used to make weapons look authentic in close-up shots — from being contaminated with live bullets. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024 Work after lunch started with positioning a camera in preparation for an extreme close-up take of Baldwin drawing a gun from a holster inside a makeshift church. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 3 Mar. 2024 There are the same intense close-ups of grizzly sweating faces, florid musical score and blazing credits that characterized the Italian master’s spaghetti Westerns. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2024 As well as being a lovely conjunction, a Last Quarter Moon is an excellent time to use a telescope to get a close-up of the lunar surface as sharp shadows are thrown across the landscape. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 This is partially because the drama feels so heavy-handed, with the director relying on lots of symbolism, a nonstop brooding score and too many close-ups to convey the anguish and sorrow of her characters. Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2024
Adverb or adjective
Swipe over to see a close-up of the look (and Kali’s abs) in the ‘fit, followed by headlines about her album. Korin Miller, Women's Health, 20 Mar. 2023 One shot features a close-up of the bride, while the final image shows the pair in profile by the sea at sunset. Gawon Bae, CNN, 20 Mar. 2023 The first glimpse was a close-up shot of the tats, while the second showed the tattoo artist and Damon smiling post-ink session. Tracey Harrington McCoy, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2023 She’s introduced in motion and in close-up, during a hallway scuffle shot in a documentary-like style with handheld camera, available light and jumpy editing. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2023 The sequence opens with a close-up shot of Danny struggling to buckle his seatbelt outside of Forsters, a fictional DIY hardware store. Rachel Seo, Variety, 17 Mar. 2023 In the clip Eilish posted on Instagram, she and Dre are seen in extreme close-up discussing something ominous. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 17 Mar. 2023 Whitaker as a director relishes Bassett in close-up, to better study the grooves of her character’s internal life, reflected in her jaw going tight or a tilt of her head up to the sunlight. Vulture, 16 Mar. 2023 The opening panel of the first story is a close-up of a stunning, raven-haired woman, with earrings that (on the third or thirteenth read) turn out to be Thalia and Melpomene, the classical masks of comedy and tragedy. Ed Park, The New York Review of Books, 14 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'close-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb Or Adjective

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of close-up was in 1913

Dictionary Entries Near close-up

Cite this Entry

“Close-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/close-up. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

close-up

noun
ˈklōs-ˌəp
: a photograph or movie shot taken at close range

More from Merriam-Webster on close-up

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