: the closing or limitation of debate in a legislative body especially by calling for a vote
clotured; cloturing; clotures
: to close (debate) in a legislative body by cloture
Debate over the bill was short Tuesday evening. After an initial debate Tuesday afternoon, Senate Republicans clotured debate when the bill returned later in the day.—
Brian Lyman
Brian LymanExamples of cloture in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebGaby Del Valle, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
The $95 billion package advanced in a 67-32 cloture vote Wednesday, also known as a motion to limit debate on a bill, and moved to a final vote.
—Jamie Joseph, Fox News, 9 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cloture 
Noun
Before voting on the reauthorization bill, senators had to vote on a cloture motion to begin voting.
—Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
The $95 billion package advanced in a 67-32 cloture vote Wednesday, also known as a motion to limit debate on a bill, and moved to a final vote.
—Jamie Joseph, Fox News, 9 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cloture
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cloture.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Cloture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cloture. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
cloture
noun
clo·ture
ˈklō-chər 
: the closing or limitation of debate in a legislative body especially by calling for a vote
cloture
transitive verb
Etymology
Noun
French clôture, literally, closure
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