closeout

1 of 2

noun

close·​out ˈklōz-ˌau̇t How to pronounce closeout (audio)
1
: a clearing out by a sale usually at reduced prices of the whole remaining stock (as of a business)
2
: an article offered or bought at a closeout

close out

2 of 2

verb

closed out; closing out; closes out

transitive verb

1
a
b
: preclude
close out his chances
2
a
: to dispose of a whole stock of by sale
b
: to dispose of (a business)
c
: sell
closed out his share of the business
d
: to put (an account) in order for disposal or transfer
3
a
: to bring to an often rapid or abrupt conclusion
close out a career
b
: to discontinue operation of

intransitive verb

1
: to sell out a business
2
: to buy or sell securities or commodities in order to terminate an account

Examples of closeout in a Sentence

Noun a store that sells closeouts Verb the team closed out the season with major losses don't assume an attitude that closes out any possibility of a compromise
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Senior Ian Straley made the Lightning pay for late closeouts. Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2024 Defensively, the Suns weren’t redirecting the Clippers on drives and weren’t close enough on the 3-ball closeouts. Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 4 Jan. 2024 Since those comments, the defense has been stellar, with crisp closeouts, aggressiveness on the glass, and timely rotations. Khari Thompson, BostonGlobe.com, 26 May 2023 The Aztecs are elite defensively on the perimeter and at the rim, using Nathan Mensah’s drop defense to protect the latter and relentless ball pressure and highhanded closeouts to protect the former. Tanner McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2023 Then, the highlight of the game came with just more than three minutes remaining in the third when Green exploded baseline on a late closeout from Cunningham, propelling to the rim for the dunk, and then yelled in Cunningham's face, incurring a technical foul. Rahat Huq, Chron, 11 Nov. 2021 Everyone had a hand in this, from Jarred Vanderbilt’s defense on Ja Morant, to James and Davis dominating in the closeout to Dennis Schroder’s defensive havoc. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2023 The closeout is everything. Jennifer Lee, Forbes, 8 June 2022 But that figure includes an ambitious closeout of a lot of this year’s costly and overzealous buying spree. Laura Forman, WSJ, 9 Dec. 2021
Verb
Zoë Kravitz is closing out the awards season out in style. Stacy Lambe, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, Bryan closed out 2023 by being named top new artist at the Billboard Music Awards. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024 Then seven free throws and a chase-down block closed out the game. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 Pujols closed out his career playing for Brad Ausmus and Joe Maddon in Anaheim, Dave Roberts in Los Angeles and Oliver Marmol in St. Louis, crushing career homers No. 699 and 700 as a Cardinal in Dodger Stadium on Sept. 23, 2022. Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 Partial sunshine and milder air close out the weekend nicely. Molly Robey, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024 The Roos, leading for only 16 seconds of the contest, closed out the first quarter with a manageable 20-16 deficit but went cold in the second quarter — with just nine points on 4-of-15 shooting. Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 1 Mar. 2024 As predicted earlier this month, Milwaukee is closing out its warmest-ever winter on record. Journal Sentinel, 29 Feb. 2024 When Richards plays that way, the Hornets have a much better chance because they would get pounded otherwise on the boards, unable to constantly close out possessions, leading to second-chance points. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'closeout.' 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

1925, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of closeout was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near closeout

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

closeout

noun
close·​out ˈklōz-ˌau̇t How to pronounce closeout (audio)
: a sale of leftover merchandise
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!