close vs last

close

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

  • 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 come to an end. 

  • 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. 

last

verb
  • To shape with a last; to fasten or fit to a last; to place smoothly on a last. 

  • To hold out, continue undefeated or entire. 

  • To endure, continue over time. 

noun
  • A tool for shaping or preserving the shape of shoes. 

  • A load of some commodity with reference to its weight and commercial value. 

adj
  • Being the only one remaining of its class. 

  • Farthest of all from a given quality, character, or condition; most unlikely, or least preferable. 

  • Supreme; highest in degree; utmost. 

  • Lowest in rank or degree. 

  • Most recent, latest, last so far. 

  • Final, ultimate, coming after all others of its kind. 

adv
  • Most recently. 

  • after everything else; finally 

det
  • The (one) immediately before the present. 

  • Closest in the past, or closest but one if the closest was very recent; of days, sometimes thought to specifically refer to the instance closest to seven days (one week) ago, or the most recent instance before seven days (one week) ago. 

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