closed shop

noun

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

Definition of closed shop

1 : an establishment in which the employer by agreement hires only union members in good standing

2 : an exclusive group or establishment

Recent Examples of closed shop from the Web

This dry cleaning and alteration business closed shop at the end of February after 10 years.

— annie zak, Anchorage Daily News, "Open & Shut: A new bike shop in an old fire station, and Paris Cafe relocates," 7 Apr. 2018
So here is the situation for the snow addicts: Bryce and Liberty will be closing shop after the last chair on Saturday afternoon.

— john hopewell, Washington Post, "Miracles do happen: Some Mid-Atlantic ski resorts are still open Easter weekend," 30 Mar. 2018
The error gave cooperatives — including farming giants like Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. — the major advantage and put smaller privately owned agricultural businesses at risk of closing shop.

— tara golshan, Vox, "4 winners and 4 losers from Congress’s massive $1.3 trillion spending package," 23 Mar. 2018
People close to the store and its attendant theater immediately took to social media to mourn the loss: .@MeltdownComics is closing shop in 10 days.

— gwynedd stuart, Los Angeles Magazine, "Meltdown Comics and Nerdmelt Showroom Are Closing," 21 Mar. 2018
Fournier says circumstances have changed since lowball Chinese prices forced Norsk Hydro ASA and Noranda Inc. to close shop in the French-speaking province more than a decade ago.

— sandrine rastello and natalie obiko pearson, chicagotribune.com, "Town built on asbestos may find new life in by-product of deadly mineral," 20 Mar. 2018
That promise has been slow to materialize, and last month, after nearly five years, Rose handed off his clients, closed shop and let employees take home the office furniture.

— shashank bengali, latimes.com, "He drank serpent blood in Vietnam and had armed guards in Bulgaria. Bringing U.S. investors to Myanmar was ‘a bridge too far’," 13 Mar. 2018
Meanwhile, some of the Philadelphia area’s biggest employers are closing shop as the city braces for the most congested event since Pope Francis’ visit in September 2015.

— rebecca heilweil, Philly.com, "Philly employers shut down for the parade while bars, hospitals and sports retailers ramp up," 7 Feb. 2018
Whitney Tilson is closing his hedge fund, the latest high-profile investor to close shop amid an extended period of disappointing returns for the industry.

— rob copeland, WSJ, "Whitney Tilson to Close Kase Capital Hedge Fund," 28 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'closed shop.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of closed shop

1903

Law Dictionary

closed shop

noun

legal Definition of closed shop

: a business in which the employer by agreement hires and retains only union members — see also Labor Management Relations Act — compare open shop, union shop

Note: Closed shops are illegal under the Labor Management Relations Act.