closed-door

[klohzd-dawr, -dohr]

adjective

1. held in strict privacy; not open to the press or the public.

   a closed-door strategy meeting of banking executives.

closed-door

adjective

1. private; barred to members of the public

   a closed-door meeting

Word History and Origins

Origin of closed-door¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Idioms and Phrases

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 .

Example Sentences

Nathan Law, who lives in exile in the UK, said he arrived in Singapore on Saturday to attend a "closed-door, invitation-only" conference but was detained at the border for four hours.

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But it has been the subject of ongoing litigation during closed-door board meeting sessions, which has already cost hundreds of millions of dollars in claims settlements.

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Tuesday’s legal action represents the mounting frustration among many UC employees over the pace and closed-door status of negotiations that will affect the future of the nation’s top public university system.

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In a closed-door briefing with House Republicans, aides pressed lawmakers to sharpen their pitch to skeptical voters and lean into new messaging that centers on “working families,” according to a report from Politico.

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Following the closed-door talks, both leaders held a brief press conference without taking questions.

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