behind closed doors

idiom

: in a private room or place : in private
All of their meetings are held behind closed doors.
They seemed like the perfect couple, but you never know what goes on behind closed doors.
The decisions are made behind closed doors.

Examples of behind closed doors in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Ankaragucu were also fined £54,000 and ordered to play five games behind closed doors. Nick Miller, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025 Beyond that, the bank can offer technical help to countries that are genuinely ready to move forward, while pushing for transparency in nuclear financing and procurement so major decisions aren’t made behind closed doors in Moscow or Beijing. W. Gyude Moore, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025 The current board has made critical decisions behind closed doors, minimized authentic community engagement, and failed to deliver measurable improvement for Denver’s students. Elaine Gantz Berman, Denver Post, 25 Oct. 2025 Under the California open meetings law known as the Brown Act, meetings of public bodies like city councils must be announced to the public, even if they are held behind closed doors. Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for behind closed doors

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Behind closed doors.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behind%20closed%20doors. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!