51Թ

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View synonyms for

closet

[kloz-it]

noun

  1. a small room, enclosed recess, or cabinet for storing clothing, food, utensils, etc.

  2. a small private room, especially one used for prayer, meditation, etc.

  3. a state or condition of secrecy or carefully guarded privacy.

    Some conservatives remain in the closet except on election day. Gay liberation has encouraged many gay people to come out of the closet.

  4. water closet.



adjective

  1. private; secluded.

  2. suited for use or enjoyment in privacy.

    closet reflections; closet prayer.

  3. engaged in private study or speculation; speculative; unpractical.

    a closet thinker with no practical experience.

  4. being or functioning as such in private; secret.

    a closet anarchist.

verb (used with object)

  1. to shut up in a private room for a conference, interview, etc. (usually used in the passive voice).

    The secretary of state was closeted with the senator for three hours in a tense session.

closet

/ ˈɒɪ /

noun

  1. a small cupboard or recess

  2. a small private room

  3. short for water closet

  4. (modifier) private or secret

  5. (modifier) suited or appropriate for use in private

    closet meditations

  6. (modifier) based on or devoted to theory; speculative

    a closet strategist

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to shut up or confine in a small private room, esp for conference or meditation

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of closet1

1300–50; Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French, equivalent to clos close (noun) + -et -et
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of closet1

C14: from Old French, from clos enclosure; see close 1
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Idioms and Phrases

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“My most personal issue had me imprisoned. … It was a different society that I grew up in. Being closeted was the way to survive if you’re LGBTQ.”

From

Mary asks Derrick while swiping clothes from a closet at some fabulous Upper East Side soirée.

From

Maybe this story will inform a closeted Parkinson’s patient about programs like Kaizen Kinetics and empower them to pick up the phone and join.

From

“They want us to go away, to go back in the closet, not to be part of public life,” Wiener said.

From

This film had extraordinary, revelatory material, almost all of which Paul had saved in a closet in his bedroom.

From

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close-stoolcloset drama