skeletons in the/someone's closet

idiom

informal
: something bad or embarrassing that happened in someone's past and that is kept secret
He asked if she had any skeletons in her closet that might affect her political campaign.

Examples of skeletons in the/someone's closet in a Sentence

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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.
Financial skeletons in the closet are not inherently disqualifying for a candidate for public office, said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School and the former head of the city of L.A.’s ethics commission. — Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2024 That leads her to a shady tech company with plenty of skeletons in the closet, a pinky-less yakuza leader with a score to settle, and plenty more encounters with her burgeoning nemeses — the robots. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 July 2024

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“Skeletons in the/someone's closet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skeletons%20in%20the%2Fsomeone%27s%20closet. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.

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