- a small room or a space in a wall with a door that reaches the floor, used for storing things
- She has a walk-in closet for all her clothes.
Extra ExamplesTopics Houses and homesb2- He searched his closet for something to wear.
- He went to the closet and pulled out a suit.
- Her closet was filled with black clothes.
- I picked a shirt from the closet.
- I raided Bob's closet for something to wear.
- clothes hanging in the closet
- It's about time I cleared out this closet.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- huge
- large
- …
- close
- open
- lock
- …
- be filled with something
- hold something
- door
- space
- in the closet
- from the closet
- to the closet
- …
- be in the closet
- stay in the closet
- come out of the closet
- …
Word Originlate Middle English (denoting a private or small room): from Old French, diminutive of clos ‘closed’, from Latin claudere ‘to shut’.Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
Idioms
See closet in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarycome out of the closet
- to tell people in general something that you kept secret before, especially the fact that you are gay
- More public figures are finding the courage to come out of the closet.
(be, remain, stay, etc.) in the closet
- to keep something secret from most people, especially the fact that you are gay
- The country's harsh policies forced him to stay in the closet.
- Many gay celebrities still remain in the closet, fearful of intrusive publicity.
a skeleton in the closet (North American English, British English)
(also a skeleton in the cupboard British English)
- (informal) something shocking, embarrassing, etc. that has happened to you or your family in the past that you want to keep secret
- They were hoping to find some skeletons in his closet.
Check pronunciation:
closet