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

See Examples For:

revolving door

Also, state-prison leadership, usually governor appointees, can be a revolving door.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

The Swiss-listed stock has plummeted 41% since early 2022, dragged down by weak sales, misguided acquisitions, and a revolving door at the top.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

Bieber went on to play much-memed videos of himself running into a revolving door and himself falling off a stage; that led to an unfortunate little digression about the paparazzi and their rapacious ways.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026

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

He signed a few papers, and they exited the courthouse through a revolving door into a sunny Brooklyn afternoon.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Related Words

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