'dependencies' cannot be applied to '(groovy.lang.Closure)'

Question

You can go to Preferences and select "use default gradle wrapper" then rebuild the project. It worked well for me:

Go to

Windows

File -> Settings -> Build, Execution, Deployment -> Build Tools -> Gradle

Mac

Preference -> Build, Execution, Deployment -> Build Tools -> Gradle

and select Use default gradle wrapper

Based on what Android Studio generates, you need to have a top-level project file build.gradle, and another for your app build.gradle.

Top-level:

// Top-level build file where you can add configuration options common to all sub-projects/modules.

buildscript {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
        maven { url 'http://download.crashlytics.com/maven' }
    }
    dependencies {
        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:1.1.0'
        classpath 'com.crashlytics.tools.gradle:crashlytics-gradle:1.+'
        // NOTE: Do not place your application dependencies here; they belong
        // in the individual module build.gradle files
    }
}

allprojects {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
        maven { url 'http://download.crashlytics.com/maven' }
    }
}

Application level:

apply plugin: 'com.android.application'
apply plugin: 'crashlytics'

android{
    compileSdkVersion rootProject.compileSdkVersion
    buildToolsVersion rootProject.buildToolsVersion
    defaultConfig {
        minSdkVersion rootProject.minSdkVersion
        targetSdkVersion rootProject.targetSdkVersion
        versionCode rootProject.versionCode
        versionName rootProject.versionName
    } 
    buildTypes {
        release {
            debuggable rootProject.prodDebug
            proguardFile 'proguard.cfg'
        }
    }

    packagingOptions {
        exclude 'META-INF/LICENSE.txt'
        exclude 'META-INF/NOTICE.txt'
    }
    lintOptions {
        abortOnError false
    }
 }     `

dependencies {
    compile fileTree(dir: "$buildDir/native-libs", include: 'native-libs.jar')
    compile fileTree(dir: 'libs', include: '*.jar')
    compile project(':FRNDzTER_core')
    compile project(':cropper')
    compile project(':stickyListHeaders')
    compile "com.nostra13.universalimageloader:universal-image-          l                        loader:${rootProject.universalImageLoaderVersion}"
    compile "com.google.android.gms:play-    services:${rootProject.googlePlayServicesVersion}"
    compile "   "de.keyboardsurfer.android.widget:crouton:${rootProject.croutonVersion}"
    compile "com.nineoldandroids:library:${rootProject.nineoldandroidsVersion}"
    compile 'com.github.chrisbanes.actionbarpulltorefresh:library:+'
    compile 'com.crashlytics.android:crashlytics:1.+'
}

But even without all that, your problem is that you have a dependencies within your android plugin config.

android {
    dependencies {
    }
}

remove that empty dependencies block.

EDIT: I also started getting this error with the latest Android Studio, all I had to do was add a newer version of the Gradle plugin, and compileSdkVersion 22.

buildscript {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
        mavenCentral()
    }
    dependencies {
        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:1.3.0'
        classpath 'com.neenbedankt.gradle.plugins:android-apt:1.4'

        // NOTE: Do not place your application dependencies here; they belong
        // in the individual module build.gradle files
    }
}

allprojects {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
        mavenCentral()
    }
}

If you already are using the "default gradle wrapper" and it doesn't help:

In Menu click: File -> Invalidate Caches / Restart...

If it also doesn't help try in 2 steps:

1) Delete ".gradle" folder (and "build" folder if you have it already)

2) In Menu click: File -> Invalidate Caches / Restart...

After restarting the warning should disappear.

(For me it worked and for Android Studio and for IntelliJ Idea)

My problem is that the whole build.setting file were occupied with cannot be applied to '(groovy.lang.Closure)' warning messages instead of happening on any particular variable.

I have tried all solutions provided by others but none of them works for me. I ended out doing these steps then it works like a charm. If you are encountering the same issue then give it a try.

1. Open and edit file: yourproject/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties. Edit content to update the gradle distribution version as shown in the image below then save.
2. Delete this folder: yourproject/.gradle.
3. Click Sync project with gradle files, then you are good to go.

I went into the preferences to try one of the other answers when I noticed a warning that my gradle home directory was wrong. So I opened up the file browser and chose the newer gradle version, and all the errors went away. Image shown below.