skeleton in the cupboard

1. 1.

   a scandal that is kept secret

   “there must be a skeleton somewhere in that family's closet”

   Synonymsskeletonskeleton in the closet

   Broaderscandal

Questions about skeleton in the cupboard

What does skeleton in the cupboard mean?

skeleton in the cupboard means "a scandal that is kept secret".

What is another word for skeleton in the cupboard?

Close synonyms include skeleton, skeleton in the closet. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.