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

They will also tackle emergent and “hidden” forms of corruption, such as deferred bribe payments and “revolving doors” through which officials can move between public office and corporate jobs.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

Jacksonville is looking good with Liam Coen dialing up the offense, and the Jets’ quarterback situation remains a revolving door with no workable answers.

From Los Angeles Times

The same research team has also looked at Medicare’s “revolving door” and the patterns of switching to and from the different forms of Medicare.

From Science Daily

It's clear the government needs to navigate these issues thoroughly to avoid the revolving door of offending, conviction and jail.

From BBC

Related Words

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