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 close-up sonar image shows the bridge wreckage in the deepest part of the federal Port of Baltimore Shipping Channel and one of the Francis Scott Key Bridge's main supports. Luis Martinez, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024 Star Tours will now rocket guests straight to a moment that boasts a close-up with the purrgil, essentially large, mysterious space whales that move with a galactic grace. Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024 While many of the first feature’s memorable squeeze zooms, close-ups, sharp edits and wardrobe accents are included as callbacks for eagle-eyed fans, Allain-Marcus and his team also apply their own signature aesthetic flourishes. Courtney Howard, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024 The new exhibit area will give visitors a close-up look at the tentacled invertebrates in a three-room gallery that will include an 18-foot-tall cylindrical acrylic aquarium. Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024 The opening of the trailer shows a dramatized close-up shot of a Pop-Tart shooting out of a toaster in a style similar to a spacecraft blasting off. Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024 Corrigan’s post included a snap of a photo booth strip of the couple embracing one another and a close-up video of the engagement ring Lerman gave to her. Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024 Sending in extra resources can have all sorts of effects beyond what a close-up shows. Leif Wenar, WIRED, 27 Mar. 2024 Some of the fault for that is due to the decision to add an onstage crew, supposedly filming a documentary about the show and whose fierce close-up work is splashed on the screen. David Benedict, Variety, 27 Mar. 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 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

close-up

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

More from Merriam-Webster on close-up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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