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Search keep a close eye/watch on sb/sth
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close [2]  (closer comparative) (closest superlative ) (NEARNESS; ADJECTIVE USES) 
Please look at category 18 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.  
1  adj If one thing or person is close to  another, there is only a very small distance between them. 
v-link ADJ, ADJ after v, oft ADJ prep/adv  (=near) 
Her lips were close to his head and her breath tickled his ear..., The man moved closer, lowering his voice..., The tables were pushed close together so diners could talk across the aisles.  
♦  closely  adv ADV after v, ADV -ed 
Wherever they went they were closely followed by security men.  
2  adj You say that people are close to  each other when they like each other very much and know each other very well. 
oft ADJ to n 
She and Linda became very close..., As a little girl, Karan was closest to her sister Gail..., I shared a house with a close friend from school...  
♦  closeness  n-uncount 
I asked whether her closeness to her mother ever posed any problems.  
3  adj Your close relatives are the members of your family who are most directly related to you, for example your parents and your brothers or sisters. 
ADJ n  (Antonym: distant)  ...large changes such as the birth of a child or death of a close relative.  
4  adj A close ally or partner of someone knows them well and is very involved in their work. 
usu ADJ n, also v-link ADJ to n 
He was once regarded as one of Mr Brown's closest political advisers..., A senior source close to Mr Blair told us: `Our position has not changed.'  
5  adj Close contact or co-operation involves seeing or communicating with someone often. 
ADJ n 
Both nations are seeking closer links with the West..., He lived alone, keeping close contact with his three grown-up sons.  
♦  closely  adv ADV after v 
We work closely with the careers officers in schools.  
6  adj If there is a close connection or resemblance between two things, they are strongly connected or are very similar. 
usu ADJ n  (=strong) 
There is a close connection between pain and tension..., Clare's close resemblance to his elder sister invoked a deep dislike in him.  
♦  closely  adv ADV before v, ADV -ed 
...a pattern closely resembling a cross., ...fruits closely related to the orange.  
7  adj Close inspection or observation of something is careful and thorough.  (=thorough) 
He discovered, on closer inspection, that the rocks contained gold..., Let's have a closer look.  
♦  closely  adv ADV with v 
If you look closely at many of the problems in society, you'll see evidence of racial discrimination.  
8  adj A close competition or election is won or seems likely to be won by only a small amount. 
It is still a close contest between two leading opposition parties..., It's going to be very close.  
♦  closely  adv usu ADV -ed 
This will be a closely fought race.  
9  adj If you are close to  something or if it is  close, it is likely to happen or come soon. If you are close to  doing something, you are likely to do it soon. 
v-link ADJ, usu ADJ to n/-ing  (=near) 
She sounded close to tears..., A senior White House official said the agreement is close..., He's close to signing a contract.  
10  adj If something is close or comes close to  something else, it almost is, does, or experiences that thing. 
v-link ADJ, usu ADJ to n  (=near) 
An airliner came close to disaster while approaching Heathrow Airport...  
11  adj If the atmosphere somewhere is close, it is unpleasantly warm with not enough air. 
12 Something that is close by or close at hand is near to you. 
♦ close by/at hand  phrase usu v-link PHR, PHR after v  (=nearby) 
Did a new hairdressing shop open close by?..., His wife remains behind in Germany, but Jason, his 18-year-old son, is closer at hand.  
13 If you describe an event as a close shave, a close thing, or a close call, you mean that an accident or a disaster very nearly happened. 
♦ a close call/shave/thing  phrase 
You had a close shave, but you knew when you accepted this job that there would be risks.  
14 If you keep a close eye on someone or something or  keep a close watch on them, you observe them carefully to make sure they are progressing as you want them to. 
♦ keep a close eye/watch on sb/sth    phrase V inflects, usu PHR on n 
The President's foreign policy team are keeping a close eye on events.  
15 Close to a particular amount or distance means slightly less than that amount or distance. In British English, you can also say close on a particular amount or distance. 
♦ close to/on  prep-phrase PREP amount  (=almost, nearly) 
Sisulu spent close to 30 years in prison..., Catering may now account for close on a quarter of pub turnover.  
16 If you look at something close up or close to, you look at it when you are very near to it. 
♦ close up/to  phrase usu PHR after v, v-link PHR 
They always look smaller close up.  
 →  close-up 
17 If something such as a competition or an election is too close to call, it is not possible to predict who will win because it seems likely to be won by only a very small margin.  (JOURNALISM) 
♦ too close to call  phrase PHR with cl 
In the Senate, the count is too close to call at this point.  
18 
 →  at close quarters 
 →  quarter 
 →  at close range 
 →  range 

Collaborative Dictionary     English-English
! come to grips with sth q. you consider it seriously.And you start taking actions and deal with it. You come ... 

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"Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced Learners 4th edition published in 2003 © HarperCollins Publishers 1987, 1995, 2001, 2003 and Collins A-Z Thesaurus 1st edition first published in 1995 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995"