closing

The time at which an establishment closes for the day. Aw man, it's closing time already? I barely got any of my shopping done! I think we can squeeze in one more beer before it's closing time!

trying to stop something bad happening when it has already happened and the situation cannot be changed Improving security after a major theft would seem to be a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Also, close the deal; close on a sale or deal . Complete a transaction, as in Jack was delighted to close the sale. This term applies to such transactions as the sale of a house, also put as closing on a house, as well as negotiations leading up to a sale. The latter was also put as to close a bargain, a phrase used by Charles Dickens and other 19th-century writers: "He closed the bargain directly it reached his ears," Nicholas Nickleby, 1838.