closed-door

American  

[klohzd-dawr, -dohr] / ˈkloʊzdˈdɔr, -ˈdoʊr /

adjective

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

   a closed-door strategy meeting of banking executives.

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closed-door British  

adjective

1. private; barred to members of the public

   a closed-door meeting

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closed door Idioms  

1. An obstacle or restriction, as in There are no closed doors in the new field of gene therapy . [First half of 1900s]

2. close one's doors . See close down . Also see behind closed doors ; close the door .

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Etymology

Origin of closed-door

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

The City Council ran afoul of the Ralph M. Brown Act by approving a plan for removing 9,800 homeless encampments during a closed-door meeting, according to a new ruling.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

"It's an appropriate, fair punishment," Karolina Kolary, a laywer for Izabela's family, told journalists after the closed-door hearing.

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

WASHINGTON—President Trump had just started a closed-door White House meeting with governors when one of his trade advisers handed him a piece of paper.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

Such charges also justify a closed-door trial, avoiding public scrutiny.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

Ann secretly took notes and fed the information to Fuller and others, who used it to challenge the city about these closed-door hearings.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson