From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcloselyclose‧ly /ˈkləʊsli $ ˈkloʊs-/ ●●● S3 W2 adverb 1 CAREFULvery carefully The detective watched him closely, waiting for a reply.closely controlled/guarded/monitored etc Political activity is closely controlled. Details of the program are a closely-guarded secret.2 to a very great degree I have been closely involved in the work of both committees. The successful applicant will be working closely with our international staff. a creature that closely resembles a red monkey3 → closely related/connected/associated etc4 NEARin a way that is close to other things in time or space lightning, followed closely by thunder We were so closely packed in the elevator I could hardly move.
Examples from the Corpus
closely• Far away, the curve hugs the axis very closely.• The men are often in the home, doing work closely associated with women in most societies.• I stooped down before the stone and peered closely at it.• Sequent, too, he suggests, is looking closely at problems with bus bandwidth and distributed computing.• Voters should closely examine all the issues.• The flash of lightning was closely followed by thunder.• When the town was closely invested, Marquez decided to seek favorable terms for himself.• In recent years Applied Linguistics at Edinburgh has been closely involved in the organisation of international seminars and conferences.• These two issues are closely linked, and it makes sense to consider them together.• Changes in Expectations from the Farm Responses given to this question were linked very closely to changes in family circumstances.• Watch the area closely to make sure it does not become infected.• Bush worked closely with Gorbachev to improve Soviet relations with the U.S.watched ... closely• I must have watched him as closely as I watched the play.• Woodward, the MI5 man, had watched him closely at Northolt.• That decision is being watched closely by investors.• He watched her closely for a long time but there was no further flicker of consciousness.• The text needs to be watched closely for all may not be as it seems at first.• She spied on him and watched closely over the friendships he formed, in order to prevent him from assuming power.• I watched closely the Britts and other successful men and women in this business.• Grant watched Angel One closely, waiting for the attack to be launched.closely involved• But again, I was closely involved.• David Poole is hopeful for the future of an art with which he has become so closely involved.• The librarian himself may well be closely involved, but the controlling function normally rests with head of acquisitions.• In recent years Applied Linguistics at Edinburgh has been closely involved in the organisation of international seminars and conferences.• He had been closely involved with Harriet over the horses.• Johannes Uyttenbogaert was closely involved with the Remonstrants, a liberal and political movement opposed to the extremes of Calvinism.• The language young children hear comes mostly from people who are closely involved with them.followed closely• But this example of corporate induced injury pales beside one which followed closely afterwards.• Traffic and noise, dirt and pollution and crime followed closely behind.• A bolt of lightning ripped it open, and the light was followed closely by a deep rumble of thunder.• She is followed closely by a little boy, who keeps ducking behind her whenever Yolanda smiles at him.• This is followed closely by discounted admission to racecourses and greyhound tracks.• Strathclyde was home to the largest number, followed closely by Lothian and Tayside.• The hot drop this summer is a gleaming Lexus, followed closely by the design of the city skyline.• The Bloc Quebecois got the nod as official opposition with 54 seats, and Reform followed closely with 52. 