code of silence

noun phrase

: a usually unwritten rule or guideline that compels members of a group or organization to keep the secrets of that group or organization

Incarcerated individuals and those who have been released share horrifying accounts of life behind prison walls, emphasizing a code of silence among correctional officers.

—Southern Poverty Law Center

… a code of silence among elected officials, who have been convinced that it's illegal to talk about what was discussed in closed sessions—which almost never is true.

—Post & Courier (Charleston, South Carolina)

The former West Coast player is bravely challenging the infamous "code of silence" in the AFL [=Australian Football League] by sharing the harm caused to him by his club's culture and by the "countless" homophobic comments he heard throughout his career.

—Erik Denison

Witness protection was seen as a necessary tool to break the code of silence that existed within these criminal organizations.

—Phil Connelly

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above