Definition of "close'

[B_B_fantasy]

In debating a friend on rules about a contest, which was a guessing game...guess a number between 1-1000, the winner is the one who is the closest to the actual number, IF the number was 62... and a contestant guessed 61... and another 62...and the contest was to be the "closest" to the correct number... which would be the winner. By going by definition of close, shouldn't it be the contestant with the guess of 61, as the 62 wasn't close...it was exact.
thanks

[Yankee]

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It never ceases to amaze me what people are willing to argue about...

First let's look at some dictionary definitions for close:

One of the Cambridge Dicitonary definitions is not distant in position or time.

In Webster's one of the definitions is having little space between items or units.

The word 'closest' is superlative. If the definitions are made superlative, they would become least distant or having the least space between.

Zero distance/space between surely qualifies as 'the least'.

Therefore, in my very humble opinion, 62 is the closest possible number to 62.
In fact it doesn't get any closer than that.
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English