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Glite Dictionary
to close the door on

to close the door on

1 5.1
To stop an idea or plan from happening by rejecting it
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : cerrar la puerta a
  • His refusal to negotiate effectively closed the door on any chance of reaching an agreement.
  • close the door on others," he said

Olympia, and I had a feeling that that was my opportunity to close the door on Kai Green.

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Examples

  • After the scandal, the manager decided to close the door on future collaborations with that company.

  • So, I close the door on that room forever.

    Blog text (11)

  • I was trying to raise capital from my rich dad and he closed the door on me and started to scream.

  • O my guess is this probably closes the door on the GME crisis.

  • Olympia, and I had a feeling that that was my opportunity to close the door on Kai Green.

    Chris Williamson

  • I don't know if I'd do another sci-fi show, but I wouldn't close the door on it either.

    Blog text (11)

  • Donald Trump abandoned his fake campaign for president, but keeps making videos and going on TV telling people that he hasn't entirely closed the door on future fake campaigns.

    Blog text (11)

  • Kelly Kraft, Quinn's budget spokeswoman, said the governor's office hopes to use the next month or so to try and convince lawmakers not to close the door on borrowing.

    Blog text (11)

  • The new regulations close the door on any further expansion of the business.

Synonyms

to shut out
vsto close the door on
99 3.8

To stop something from entering, being included, or being thought about

rejects possibilities by ending any chance rather than only blocking inclusion
to close off
vsto close the door on
24 3.9

Stop people or vehicles from entering a place

ends possibilities by refusing further consideration, not just blocking access
to foreclose
vsto close the door on
  • Formal
8 7.9

To stop something from happening or make it impossible

ends chances by rejecting them rather than using formal measures
to close the book on
vsto close the door on
  • Informal
5 5.3

Decide that a matter has ended and do nothing more about it

ends chances by rejecting future consideration rather than declaring it over
to close out
vsto close the door on
1 6.5

Prevent a chance or option from being used

stops possibilities by rejecting them directly instead of preemptive planning

Antonyms

to leave the door open
13 3.6

To keep a chance open for the future

How Final

to preclude
55 7.2
to close the door on
1 5.1
to rule out
246 3.5
to set aside
22 3.9

Surface Forms

close the door on infinitive
closed the door on past
closed the door on past participle
closing the door on present participle
closes the door on third person singular

Morphology

close + the + door + on

The sense 'to reject or end the possibility of something' is a clear metaphorical extension of physically 'closing a door' so that passage is blocked; the mapping from 'close' + 'door' to denying an opportunity is predictable but figurative rather than purely literal. This construction is common cross‑linguistically (e.g. Spanish/French use similar verbs with 'door'), so learners who know the constituents will often infer the meaning, but it still requires recognizing the metaphorical use.

Etymology

Close the door on comes from the simple image of the words close and door, shutting a real door so no one can come in. So, to close the door on an idea means to 'reject' it or 'end the possibility' of it happening.