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Synonyms

dirty linen

American  

noun

  1. personal or private matters that could cause embarrassment if made public.

    You didn't have to air our dirty linen to all your friends!

Etymology

Origin of dirty linen

First recorded in 1945–50

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.

The probate process is public, the legal equivalent of washing your dirty linen in the front yard.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 3, 2025

The Duke of Sussex has said his "conscience is clear" following his revealing memoir Spare, and that he did not air his "dirty linen in public."

From BBC • Sep. 15, 2025

"It is still very much a work in progress. An awful lot has been said between the two. So much dirty linen has been put out in the public, so to speak."

From Fox News • Jul. 2, 2021

Such exposés tarnish the whole community, and are regarded by many as washing the community’s dirty linen in public.

From The New Yorker • Jul. 22, 2019

As soon as I was decent, she led me past the dirty linen and out into the baking sun.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

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.