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
The show, based on the Rachel Reid novel series, follows two rival hockey players who have animosity on the ice rink but share a secret romance behind closed doors.
—
Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 11 Jan. 2026
The city of Los Angeles violated the state’s open meeting law when council members took up a plan to clear 9,800 homeless encampments behind closed doors, a judge ruled this week.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Even behind closed doors, administration insiders say different things.
—Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
The rollback was crafted behind closed doors with no public discussion or debate and no input from the federal advisory committee that has voted on vaccine recommendations to the CDC at public meetings for decades.
—Grayson Logue, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for behind closed doors
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.
Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 11 Jan. 2026
The city of Los Angeles violated the state’s open meeting law when council members took up a plan to clear 9,800 homeless encampments behind closed doors, a judge ruled this week.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Even behind closed doors, administration insiders say different things.
—Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
The rollback was crafted behind closed doors with no public discussion or debate and no input from the federal advisory committee that has voted on vaccine recommendations to the CDC at public meetings for decades.
—Grayson Logue, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for behind closed doors
Cite this Entry
“Behind closed doors.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behind%20closed%20doors. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
