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

He said he was invited to a closed-door conference in Singapore but was detained at the border.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Lawyers for Davignon, who denies all charges, argued in a closed-door January hearing that too much time had passed since the events, according to multiple sources.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

The closed-door deposition will be recorded, with video set for release later.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

Although the final draft of the document was conspicuously silent on slavery, the subject itself haunted the closed-door debates.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis