a toilet in Britain
"After forgetting his keys, he had to go back to the closet to use the facilities before entering the house."
a small private room for study or prayer
"He retreated to his closet in the attic to pray before the morning service."
One used to store food or other household supplies: a cupboard.
"The pantry is a small closet where we keep our canned goods and rice."
In plain English: A closet is a small room with shelves and hanging rods used for storing clothes, shoes, and other items.
"I kept my extra shoes in the closet under the stairs."
Usage: As a noun, closet refers specifically to an enclosed storage space within a house rather than the entire room itself. When using it as a verb, remember that it means to hide something privately and is not interchangeable with simply closing a door.
confine to a small space, as for intensive work
"The researcher was confined to his closet in the lab to complete the urgent calculations before the deadline."
To shut away for private discussion.
"The two friends retreated to a quiet corner of the office closet to discuss their personal problems in privacy."
In plain English: To closet someone means to hide them away so they cannot be seen by others.
"She decided to closet herself in her room until the guests left."
Private.
"His true feelings were revealed in his private closet, away from public eyes."
The word "closet" comes from the Middle English term clos, which originally meant a private space or enclosure. It entered modern usage as a diminutive form referring specifically to small rooms for storage rather than just general enclosed areas.