Meanings
plural broom closets
- figurativelyhumorousoftenThe metaphorical place in which a Wiccan's religious identity is hidden.
- USA closet in which cleaning materials and associated equipment, such as brooms, are stored.
The backup team would be crouched in some tiny broom closet, with sweat rolling down their faces and their backs growing stiffer, and the jackrollers would just walk by.
1988 February 26, Jack Clark, “Who Killed Jay Brunkella?”, in Chicago ReaderSynonyms: broom cupboard
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA closet in which cleaning materials and associated equipment, such as brooms, are stored.
Origin
By analogy with closet, and due to the association of witchcraft with brooms.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
broom closet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/broom%20closet
“broom closet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/broom%20closet. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “broom closet,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/broom%20closet.
Source: broom closet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.