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.

---

closed-door British  

adjective

1. private; barred to members of the public

   a closed-door meeting

---

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 .

---

Etymology

Origin of closed-door

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

In the days following, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby met with Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s U.S. representative, in a closed-door meeting at the Pentagon, according to reporting from The Free Press.

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026

At the end of a closed-door trial, an Iranian court in October sentenced them to jail on espionage charges their families say were fabricated.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

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

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

The Los Angeles Unified school board has held three closed-door meetings since the raid as it grapples with the stunning developments that have ensnared Carvalho, among the most prominent K-12 education leaders in the nation.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

Ann secretly took notes and fed the information to Fuller and others, who used it to challenge the city about these closed-door hearings.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson