coming out of the closet

Verb

come out of the closet (third-person singular simple present comes out of the closet, present participle coming out of the closet, simple past came out of the closet, past participle come out of the closet)

1. (idiomatic, intransitive) To disclose to others about one's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity, where previously this had been kept secret.
   • He came out of the closet as gay to his friends.

   Synonyms:

   come out

   Antonyms:

   remain in the closet, woodwork

2. (humorous, idiomatic, informal, intransitive, sometimes) To self-disclose about one's minority or disapproved-of identity, belief, preference, etc.
   • She finally came out of the closet to her religious family regarding her atheism.
3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see come, out, of, the, closet.