closet
Americannoun
-
a small room, enclosed recess, or cabinet for storing clothing, food, utensils, etc.
-
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.
-
suited for use or enjoyment in privacy.
closet reflections; closet prayer.
-
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
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.
“It’s hard to look at my closet and figure out what to wear every single morning,” he says.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
His daughter Katherine recalled him saying that one needs only three sets of clothing: “one on one’s body, one in the wash and one in the closet ready to wear.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
With calculated confidence, I directed him to pack my things from the closet.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
No good comes from Niall being in the closet, but he's convinced far worse would come from stepping out of it.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
It looked like usual, the NBA poster a little crooked on the wall, the blue bedspread slightly rumpled, the closet door open a crack with his shoes half-in and half-out.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
