close the door on
Shut out completely
To close the door on something is to eliminate it as a possibility or refuse to consider it further.
The phrase suggests finality—once a door is closed, passage through it ends: The scandal closed the door on his political career, She's not ready to close the door on reconciliation.
Sometimes softened to leave the door open, meaning to preserve options.
- shutTo close firmly
- pushForce something away
- lockMechanism requiring a key
- endFinal portion or cessation
- concludeEnd or infer
put an end to · pull · termination · ostracism · rule out · veto · denial · refusal · say no · finalization · cessation · final answer · rejection · exclusion · abandonment · slam · seal · dead end