Close/shut the door on something Definition 1 of 2Pro Tip 1/3Finality Implies something is conclusively ended and unlikely to resume. He closed the door on his career as an actor. Pro Tip 2/3Emotional Closure Used metaphorically to express moving beyond past experiences. After years of grief, she finally shut the door on her loss. Pro Tip 3/3Change of Focus Indicates a shift in attention or interest away from something. The writer closed the door on writing fiction to focus on poetry.