Dichtdoen

Dichtdoen is a Dutch verb meaning to close something by moving it into the closed position or by sealing it. The term is most often used for physical objects such as a door, window, lid, cap, or faucet. It is a compound verb built from dicht (closed, shut) and doen (to do), and it is separable in many tenses. In the present tense the object and the verb are usually split: Ik doe de deur dicht. In the perfect tense the form generally appears as dichtgedaan, for example: Ik heb de deur dichtgedaan.

Beyond literal closure, dichtdoen can be used in figurative or extended senses, such as closing a matter or shutting down a process. For example, een zaak dichtdoen means to conclude or terminate a case or issue, and het kraan dichtdoen means to turn off the faucet. The verb is often interchangeable with sluiten, but dichtdoen emphasizes the act of bringing something into a fully closed state and is typically used for tangible closures.

Related forms include het dichtdoen (the act of closing) and the more abstract usage of sluiten in similar contexts. In everyday speech, speakers may choose dichtdoen for immediacy and concreteness, while sluiten may appear in more formal or technical language.