close up
phr. v..phr. v.. to move closer together so there is no space between people or things; also, to shut a building or business for a short time.
phr. v.. to reduce or eliminate gaps between entities in a line or group; alternatively, to secure a premises by locking doors and windows at the end of a period of activity.
The soldiers were told to close up the line.
The shopkeeper usually starts to close up the store around five o'clock in the evening.
As the marathon runners approached the final stretch, the lead group began to close up, leaving no room for late challengers to pass.
often used intransitively when referring to gaps, or transitively when referring to a shop or building.
distinguish between the physical movement of closing a gap and the functional act of closing a business for the night.
He closed up the gap of the fence.He closed up the gap in the fence.when referring to spaces, use the preposition 'in' rather than 'of' to describe where the gap exists.