revolving door

American  

noun

1. an entrance door for excluding drafts from the interior of a building, usually consisting of four rigid leaves set in the form of a cross and rotating about a central, vertical pivot in the doorway.

2. Informal.

   1. a company, institution, or organization with a high turnover of personnel or members.

   2. a legal, medical, or other system or agency that discharges criminals, patients, etc., in the shortest possible time and without adequate attention or consideration.

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revolving door British  

noun

1. a door that rotates about a central vertical axis, esp one with four leaves arranged at right angles to each other, thereby excluding draughts

2. 1. informal a tendency to change personnel on a frequent basis

   2. ( as modifier )

      a revolving-door band

3. 1. informal the hiring of former government employees by private companies with which they had dealings when they worked for the government

   2. ( as modifier )

      revolving-door consultancies

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Other Word Forms

• revolving-door adjective

Etymology

Origin of revolving door

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Across the backends of the internet, cheeky characterizations of Norris-as-god still abound: Chuck Norris can believe it’s not butter, Chuck Norris doesn’t dodge bullets—they dodge him, Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

Levy stood by a revolving door of 12 sacked managers as Spurs reached 16 semi-finals and seven finals, not including the Uefa Super Cup before his departure.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

I have, however, seen many people pass through the financial markets’ revolving door that is reserved for self-proclaimed experts who benefit from other people’s money.

From Barron's • Jan. 14, 2026

As the Lakers’ revolving door of injuries turned, Jaxson Hayes returned Tuesday while forward Rui Hachimura was sidelined.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2025

I had the bellhop put the bags and the tape-recorder into a waiting taxi, paid my hotel bill, and walked out the revolving door with the object of the search nestling in my jacket pocket.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

Related Words

• bar
• door
• doorway
• exit
• fence
• port