closet
Americannoun
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closets
plural
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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.
-
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)
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closets,
present (3rd person singular)
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closeted,
past participle, past
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closeting
present participle
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
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has been closetingperfect progressive
Past
-
closetedsimple
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had closetedperfect
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was closetingprogressive
-
were closetingprogressive
-
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:
Trend report: Here’s what one tween is raiding from her stylist mom’s closet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
The right way to fix the holes in the floor is kind of abstract, while the screws and plates in my utility closet are right there.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
If the team wins, he’ll wear the same jersey the next day; if not, he’ll rotate through a closet of red, white, gray and City Connect jerseys.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
In addition to checking off my goals, I was also heavily encouraged to shop for my bird’s closet, furnish his apartment, and complete the in-app quests.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
There’s a stack of puzzle boxes in the closet of the room that used to be his office.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
By the time the sneaker giants came to their senses, they had already ceded that prime real estate to the unfamiliar, funny-looking products that have invaded our closets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
People were looking to empty out their closets and make extra cash.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
“It scents closets and laundry rooms,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The property also features a sizable media room, an expansive primary suite—with his-and-her closets and a spalike bathroom—and a playroom with its own stage and foam pit.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
The closets form the same odd tunneling arrangement as mine does.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
While the country was knocked sideways by the Sept. 11 attacks, I was a closeted kid alone in a new city, and football did something for me that I have never forgotten.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
The book’s first section is told in through Eddy’s journal entries as he describes the contentious rehearsals that bring together a group of closeted Kingstonians of different ages, classes and levels of sexual candor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
We wanted to be mysterious and be closeted, and Katie was the one who encouraged us not to, and to just be ourselves.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 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
The Lord Saruman is within; but at the moment he is closeted with one Wormtongue, or doubtless he would be here to welcome such honourable guests.’
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
That there exists so recent and clear an example of purposeful Hollywood closeting helps explain, to a certain extent, how these narratives can take hold.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 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
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