An obstacle or restriction, as in There are no closed doors in the new field of gene therapy . [First half of 1900s]
An obstacle or restriction, as in There are no closed doors in the new field of gene therapy . [First half of 1900s]
close one's doors . See close down . Also see behind closed doors ; close the door .
First recorded in 1930–35
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But the closed-door meeting ended without any firm announcement over US military assistance to Ukraine.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Homelessness went up by 3.4% across the city compared to the previous year, according to two people familiar with the numbers presented by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority in closed-door briefings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
He said Modi had called for a "foolproof system" to prevent irregularities in the future at a closed-door meeting with his allies on Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
In closed-door meetings with city officials over the past decade, church leaders have indicated they have influence over the properties’ management, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Cat wouldn’t miss that closed-door feeling when they were together in Georgia.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
The jargon-coded language of planning is already a closed door to almost all English speakers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
But mysticism also holds sway behind the closed door of politics.
From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025
The closed door emergency meeting of the Security Council was requested by Algeria - and comes after the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres added his voice to the international outcry over the Rafah attack.
From BBC ● May 28, 2024
Prior to the shooting, a police supervisor is seen talking to Yang through the closed door, trying to convince him to come outside on his own.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2024
Lily looked down the hall at the closed door and her expression hardened.
From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
