close vs start

close

verb
  • To come to an end. 

  • To move to a position allowing electricity to flow. 

  • To have a vector sum of 0; that is, to form a closed polygon. 

  • To move to a position preventing fluid from flowing. 

  • To cancel or reverse (a trading position). 

  • To make (e.g. a gap) smaller. 

  • To make a sale. 

  • To move so that an opening is closed. 

  • To grapple; to engage in close combat. 

  • To make the final outs, usually three, of a game. 

  • To terminate an application, window, file or database connection, etc. 

  • To come or gather around; to enclose; to encompass; to confine. 

  • To put an end to; to conclude; to complete; to finish; to consummate. 

  • To obstruct (an opening). 

  • To do the tasks (putting things away, locking doors, etc.) required to prepare a store or other establishment to shut down for the night. 

  • To turn off; to switch off. 

noun
  • The common staircase in a tenement. 

  • A cathedral close. 

  • The interest which one may have in a piece of ground, even though it is not enclosed 

  • The point at the end of a sales pitch when the consumer is asked to buy. 

  • The conclusion of a strain of music; cadence. 

  • A very narrow alley between two buildings, often overhung by one of the buildings above the ground floor. 

  • An end or conclusion. 

  • A grapple in wrestling. 

  • The manner of shutting; the union of parts; junction. 

  • The time when checkin staff will no longer accept passengers for a flight. 

  • A double bar marking the end. 

  • A street that ends in a dead end. 

adj
  • Adhering strictly to a standard or original; exact. 

  • Marked, evident. 

  • Intimate; well-loved. 

  • Strictly confined; carefully guarded. 

  • Accurate; careful; precise; also, attentive; undeviating; strict. 

  • Almost, but not quite (getting to an answer or goal); near 

  • Oppressive; without motion or ventilation; causing a feeling of lassitude. 

  • At a little distance; near. 

  • Of a corporation or other business entity, closely held. 

  • Hot, humid, with no wind. 

  • Articulated with the tongue body relatively close to the hard palate. 

  • Narrow; confined. 

  • Short. 

  • Nearly equal; almost evenly balanced. 

start

verb
  • To break away, to come loose. 

  • To begin. 

  • To flinch or draw back. 

  • To awaken suddenly. 

  • To put or raise (a question, an objection); to put forward (a subject for discussion). 

  • To disturb and cause to move suddenly; to startle; to alarm; to rouse; to cause to flee or fly. 

  • To put into play. 

  • To move suddenly from its place or position; to displace or loosen; to dislocate. 

  • To pour out; to empty; to tap and begin drawing from. 

  • To set in motion. 

  • To have its origin (at), begin. 

  • To bring onto being or into view; to originate; to invent. 

  • To jerk suddenly in surprise. 

  • To start one's periods (menstruation). 

  • To begin an activity. 

  • To ready the operation of a vehicle or machine. 

noun
  • The beginning point of a race, a board game, etc. 

  • An appearance in a sports game, horserace, etc., from the beginning of the event. 

  • The curved or inclined front and bottom of a water wheel bucket. 

  • The arm, or level, of a gin, drawn around by a horse. 

  • An initial advantage over somebody else; a head start. 

  • A handle, especially that of a plough. 

  • A young plant germinated in a pot to be transplanted later. 

  • A projection or protrusion; that which pokes out. 

  • The beginning of an activity. 

  • An instance of starting. 

  • A sudden involuntary movement. 

How often have the words close and start occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )