close the door

present singular third person closes the door · participle present closing the door · participle past closed the door · past closed the door

1. idiomaticSynonym of shut the door.

   Far from closing the door on the leadership of the ’60s generation, Mr. Obama’s presidency seems to have brought it back in full force.

   2012 November 7, Matt Bai, “Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds”, in New York Times

   Synonyms: shut the door

2. idiomaticintransitiveTo no longer consider an idea worth exploring or investigating.

   One of the more prominent investigative leads emerged when authorities began to suspect that the unidentified victim might be Rory Gene Kesinger. […] Authorities approached Kesinger’s mother for her DNA, which did not match the victim’s DNA. This closed the door on the Kesinger theory.

   2026 September 3, Shreya Lele, “The “Lady of the Dunes” Was Found Murdered in 1974. Nearly 50 Years Later, She Got Her Name Back”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 03 Sep 2026