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Glite Dictionary
closed session

closed session

8 5.5
A part of a meeting that is not open to the public
  • noun
  • /kloʊzd ˈsɛʃən/
  • Formal
translation icon : sesión cerrada
  • The board decided to conduct the financial review in a closed session to protect proprietary information.

Examples

  • During the closed session, the legislators reviewed confidential reports that could impact national security.

  • The attendees milled around in the hallway as the closed-session meeting took place, from 6:30 to 7:21 p.m., when they were allowed back in.

    Blog text (5)

  • The board would not be allowed to talk about the candidates or interview them in closed session.

    Blog text (11)

  • The Brown Act allows closed sessions under the scope of a regular meeting.

    Blog text (16)

  • If they make any decisions, they have to disclose those in public after their closed session meeting.

    Blog text (5)

  • The board entered into a half-hour closed session to discuss threatened litigation against the county.

    Blog text (31)

  • Following a closed session, Lore said that since litigation has been settled, they can provide updates on Memphis.

    Blog text (17)

  • Under New York law, elected bodies can—but are not required to—go into closed session to discuss personnel matters.

    Blog text (29)

  • The council held a closed session to discuss sensitive matters away from the public eye.

Synonyms

executive session
vsclosed session
  • Formal
4 7.6

A private meeting of a board or committee to discuss confidential matters

is the broader term for any meeting part not open to the public
backroom meeting
vsclosed session
  • Literature
7.1

A private meeting where people make important decisions away from the public

is the formal official type used by organizations or legislative bodies

How Open

real talk
  • Slang
9 7.7
closed session
  • Formal
8 5.5

Surface Forms

closed session singular
closed sessions plural

Morphology

closed + session

The meaning 'a meeting not open to the public' is directly and transparently derived from 'closed' (not open) modifying 'session' (a meeting). This simple adjective+noun composition follows regular English semantics and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Closed session comes from the simple image of a meeting room with the door shut: closed (shut) and session (a meeting). When people shut the door so others cannot enter or listen, the meeting is 'private', so today closed session means a meeting not open to the public.