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Glite Dictionary
close season

close season

4.7
A time when people may not hunt or fish to protect animals
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : temporada de veda
  • During the close season, fishermen are not allowed to catch certain species to help their populations recover.

Examples

  • The government announced that the close season for hunting wild birds would begin next month.

  • In my opinion, the only good thing about the close season was the fact that it meant there was an opening day: June sixteenth.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • We had all come back from the close season; a couple of players had left, a couple had signed, and it really came as a shock.

    Blog text (6)

  • Local wildlife organizations encourage everyone to respect the close season to protect endangered species.

Antonyms

open season
12 4.1

A time when an activity is allowed, often for hunting or fishing

How Open

year-round
66 3.0
open season
12 4.1
close season
  • UK
4.7
ban
293 1.2

Surface Forms

close season singular
close seasons plural

Morphology

close + season

The meaning 'a period when an activity is legally or customarily stopped' follows directly from combining 'close' (to shut or bring to an end) with 'season' (a period of time). This compositional interpretation — a season when something is closed or prohibited — is transparent and easily inferable by a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Close season may come from the simple image of a time when the land is literally close, or 'closed', and hunters must stop for a season so animals can breed. So, close season means 'a period when hunting or fishing is not allowed' to protect wildlife.