close-up

close-up — noun

1. a picture or video image taken from a very short distance, making the subject ap

1.nounB1
Definition

a picture or video image taken from a very short distance, making the subject appear large and full of fine detail

Example

The photographer took a close-up of the bee as it landed on a sunflower.

close-up of + [subject]

In the final scene, the camera zooms in for a close-up of the actress's face.

zoom in for a close-up

Common collocations
  • close-up shot
  • close-up photo
  • close-up lens
  • close-up view
  • extreme close-up
  • in close-up
  • close-up of someone's face
Synonyms
  • macro shot

    more technical, used for extreme close-up photography of very small subjects

  • detail shot

    focuses on a small part of a larger scene, not necessarily at very close range

  • headshot

    narrower — only a person's face and shoulders; a type of close-up in portrait photography

Antonyms
  • long shot

    a wide view of a scene from a distance, the opposite framing

  • wide shot

    captures a broad area; used to establish a scene

Grammar Patterns

close-up of [something]

verb + a close-up

in close-up

Usage Note

Commonly used with verbs like take, shoot, or get (e.g., 'get a close-up of'), and in the phrase 'in close-up' (e.g., 'the subject appears larger in close-up').

Common Mistakes

I took a close-up photo of the flower with my phone' (redundant — 'photo' and 'close-up' overlap).
I took a close-up of the flower with my phone.
'close-up' already implies a photograph.

close-up — phrasal verb

close-up — adverb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Close-up, macro shot, detail shot, and headshot all describe photographic or video images taken from a short distance, but they differ in purpose and technical scope. A close-up is the broadest term — any image where the subject fills most of the frame and fine details are visible, from a person's face to a flower. A macro shot is a specific type of extreme close-up taken with a dedicated macro lens, used for very small subjects like insects or coins, where the image is life-size or larger on the sensor. A detail shot focuses on a specific element within a larger scene (e.g., a close-up of someone's hands rather than their full body), but it does not require extreme proximity. A headshot is a professional portrait framing only the face and shoulders, used commonly for actors and corporate profiles; it is a close-up by framing but carries a specific social context the other terms lack. Examples: A nature photographer takes a close-up of a frog; with a macro lens she gets an extreme close-up of its eye (macro shot). A film editor uses a detail shot of a character's hands trembling. An actor needs a new headshot for their portfolio.

close-up ↗macro shotdetail shotheadshot

Common collocations

Nouns

  • close-up shot
  • close-up photo
  • close-up photograph
  • close-up view
  • close-up lens
  • close-up image
  • close-up picture
  • close-up portrait
  • close-up photography

Adverbs

  • extremely close-up
  • really close-up
  • in close-up

Phrases

  • zoom in for a close-up
  • take a close-up of
  • shoot a close-up
  • get a close-up
  • in close-up

Prepositions

  • close-up of
  • in close-up

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglishOld English

The compound 'close-up' combines the adjective 'close' (from Latin 'clausus', meaning shut or confined, via Old French 'clos') with the adverb 'up' (from Old English 'upp', meaning to a higher position or to completion). The photographic term emerged in the early 20th century alongside the rise of cinema: film directors needed a word for a shot that brings the audience 'up close' to the subject. The hyphenated noun and adverb forms became standard by the 1920s, while the phrasal verb 'close up' (without hyphen) has older roots — the sense 'to shut premises' dates to the 16th century, and the wound-healing sense appears in medical texts from the 17th century.