closet
Americannoun
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a small room, enclosed recess, or cabinet for storing clothing, food, utensils, etc.
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a small private room, especially one used for prayer, meditation, etc.
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a state or condition of secrecy or carefully guarded privacy.
Some conservatives remain in the closet except on election day. Gay liberation has encouraged many gay people to come out of the closet.
adjective
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private; secluded.
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suited for use or enjoyment in privacy.
closet reflections; closet prayer.
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engaged in private study or speculation; speculative; unpractical.
a closet thinker with no practical experience.
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being or functioning as such in private; secret.
a closet anarchist.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a small cupboard or recess
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a small private room
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short for water closet
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(modifier) private or secret
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(modifier) suited or appropriate for use in private
closet meditations
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(modifier) based on or devoted to theory; speculative
a closet strategist
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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closetsimple
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closetssimple
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have closetedperfect
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has closetedperfect
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am closetingprogressive
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are closetingprogressive
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is closetingprogressive
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have been closetingperfect progressive
-
has been closetingperfect progressive
Past
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closetedsimple
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had closetedperfect
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was closetingprogressive
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were closetingprogressive
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had been closetingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of closet
1300–50; Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French, equivalent to clos close (noun) + -et -et
Vocabulary lists containing closet
List 1
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"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He didn’t have skeletons just in his closet; he had one tattooed on his chest.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
On the second level, a sizable primary suite creates a beautifully serene sanctuary, complete with a huge ensuite bathroom and a sizable walk-in closet.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
Instruments were replaced with couches; the control room is now a walk-in closet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
I pawed through the outer lands of my mother’s closet before asking if I could alter a navy trapeze-style dress she no longer wore.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
Mrs. Pisano, the athletic director who usually chases anyone wearing shoes that aren’t sneakers out of the gym, is probably screaming into the P.E. supply closet.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
The primary suite is completed by two huge walk-in closets, one of which is complete with a built-in vanity, while both feature light-up shelving.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Thirty years ago L.A. firefighters found children sleeping in closets and babies snoozing in dresser drawers.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
More recently, the explosion in popularity for resale clothing and the growing use of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss have created more need for nipping and tucking what is in peoples’ closets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
“A purchaser has the option of retaining a huge amount of custom millwork: closets, bookcases, kitchen cabinetry, bathroom cabinets, marble counters, and high end appliances,” the listing said.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 15, 2026
Hands shaking, I pull on the combat boots and fatigues Izzi filched from the school’s supply closets.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
"I've grown up around this and I've seen it all from my own perspective. I think that's what I'm so proud to see. There was almost a time when you were a closeted Arsenal fan."
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
“It kind of siphoned all of that pent-up, closeted stuff that you hold back, that you couldn’t freely express,” she said.
From Slate ● May 4, 2026
"I thought a lot about how difficult it would be to be a closeted pro player."
From Barron's ● Jan. 15, 2026
It’s a stunning moment, and one of the show’s most memorable scenes, because it earnestly captures the silent yearning that comprises so much of the gay experience, especially for closeted gay men.
From Salon ● Jan. 2, 2026
“What are you doing with Potter, all these evenings you are closeted together?”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
You haven’t been able to keep up with your regular phone calls because of the pain of closeting yourself.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2019
If nothing else, it’s smarter closeting strategy—people are going to get a lot more suspicious if every time they see him with you, he starts stammering and shoving you out of view.
From Slate ● Mar. 8, 2016
And because he is closeting up his doubts and fears, his subsequent eruptions into madness, when words abruptly morph into howls, have a harrowing logic.
From New York Times ● Jun. 5, 2014
“We have no visibility, people are dying, and this whole world is just closeting everything.”
From Washington Post
No more closeting;, she could have one part of Old Chao, Janis and the children another.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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.
