Closet vs. Dresser — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on November 3, 2023
A closet is a small room or space for storing clothes, while a dresser is a piece of furniture with drawers for storing clothes.
Difference Between Closet and Dresser
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A closet is typically a small room or enclosed space in a home used for general storage or hanging clothes. A dresser is a type of furniture, usually lower and wider, that has multiple drawers for storing clothing and other items.
Closets are often built into the walls of a house and can range from small nooks to walk-in spaces. Dressers, on the other hand, are standalone pieces of furniture that can be moved and are accessible from the front.
The primary function of a closet is to organize and store various items, often including clothes, shoes, and accessories, and they often have doors. Dressers are mainly used for clothes storage, organized in horizontal drawers that slide out.
Closets may be outfitted with shelves, rods for hanging clothes, and sometimes even drawers, providing a variety of storage options. Dressers are confined to drawer space, although some may have a small closeted area or an attached mirror.
Closets can be part of a room's design, matching the interior aesthetic. Dressers can be individual pieces of statement furniture, chosen to complement or contrast with the room’s decor.
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Comparison Chart
Structure
Enclosed space or room with a door
Furniture with drawers for storage
Function
General storage and clothes hanging
Clothing storage in drawers
Placement
Built into home structure
Standalone and movable
Access
Entered into or opened with doors
Accessed from the front by pulling drawers
Customization
Can be customized with shelves, rods
Mostly fixed structure with drawers
Compare with Definitions
Closet
Part of a building's construction.
The apartment comes with a built-in closet.
Dresser
Sometimes has a mirror attached.
She applied her makeup at the dresser mirror.
Closet
Can be walk-in or reach-in.
Their master bedroom has a spacious walk-in closet.
Dresser
Can be a bedroom focal point.
The antique dresser stood out in the modern bedroom.
Closet
Often has doors.
He closed the closet doors to hide the clutter.
Dresser
Furniture with drawers for clothes.
The dresser was made of solid oak.
Closet
A closet (especially in North American usage) is an enclosed space, with a door, used for storage, particularly that of clothes. Fitted closets are built into the walls of the house so that they take up no apparent space in the room.
Dresser
One that dresses
A careful dresser.
Closet
A tall cupboard or wardrobe with a door, used for storage
He has a closet full of designer suits
Dresser
A wardrobe assistant, as for an actor.
Closet
Used to refer to a state of secrecy or concealment, especially about one's homosexuality
She tries to have a relationship with another woman while remaining in the closet
His brother's decision to come out of the closet
Dresser
A chest of drawers often supporting a mirror and typically used for holding clothes and personal items.
Closet
Secret; covert
A closet smoker
Dresser
A cupboard or set of shelves for dishes or kitchen utensils.
Closet
Shut (someone) away, especially in private conference or study
He returned home and closeted himself in his room
He was closeted with the king
Dresser
An item of kitchen furniture, like a cabinet with shelves, for storing crockery or utensils.
Closet
A cabinet or enclosed recess for linens, household supplies, or clothing.
Dresser
An item of bedroom furniture, like a low chest of drawers, often with a mirror.
Closet
A small private chamber, as for study or prayer.
Dresser
One who dresses in a particular way.
He's a very snappy dresser.
Closet
A water closet; a toilet.
Dresser
A wardrobe assistant (who helps actors put on their costume).
Closet
A state of secrecy or cautious privacy
Two days before the election, the candidate suddenly came out of the closet and denounced the proposed law.
Dresser
A servant to royalty etc. who helps them with tasks such as dressing.
Closet
To enclose or shut up in a private room, as for discussion
Closeted themselves with their attorneys.
Dresser
(medicine) A surgeon's assistant who helps to dress wounds etc.
Closet
Private; confidential
Closet information.
Dresser
(UK) A football hooligan who wears designer clothing; a casual.
Closet
Being so or engaging only in private; secret
A closet proponent of a tax increase.
A closet alcoholic.
Dresser
A mechanical device used in grain mills for bolting.
Closet
Based on theory and speculation rather than practice.
Dresser
(dated) A table or bench on which meat and other things are dressed, or prepared for use.
Closet
A small room within a house used to store clothing, food, or other household supplies.
Dresser
(mining) A kind of pick for shaping large coal.
Closet
(obsolete) Any private space, particularly bowers in the open air.
Dresser
One who dresses or prepares stone.
Closet
Any private or inner room, particularly:
Dresser
One who dresses; one who put in order or makes ready for use; one who on clothes or ornaments.
Closet
(obsolete) A private room used by women to groom and dress themselves.
Dresser
A kind of pick for shaping large coal.
Closet
(archaic) A private room used for prayer or other devotions.
Dresser
An assistant in a hospital, whose office it is to dress wounds, sores, etc.
Closet
A place of fanciful contemplation and theorizing.
Dresser
A table or bench on which meat and other things are dressed, or prepared for use.
The pewter plates on the dresserCaught and reflected the flame, as shields of armies the sunshine.
Closet
(archaic) The private residence or private council chamber of a monarch.
Dresser
A piece of chamber furniture consisting of a chest of drawers, or bureau, with a mirror.
Closet
(obsolete) A pew or side-chapel reserved for a monarch or other feudal lord.
Dresser
Furniture with drawers for keeping clothes
Closet
A private cabinet, particularly:
Dresser
A person who dresses in a particular way;
She's an elegant dresser
He's a meticulous dresser
Closet
(obsolete) One used to store valuables.
Dresser
A wardrobe assistant for an actor
Closet
(archaic) One used to store curiosities.
Dresser
Low table with mirror or mirrors where one sits while dressing or applying makeup
Closet
(figuratively) A secret or hiding place, particularly the hiding place in English idioms such as in the closet and skeleton in the closet.
The closet can be a scary place for a gay teenager.
Dresser
A cabinet with shelves
Closet
(slang, uncommon) closet case.
Dresser
Provides organized storage.
He kept his socks in the top drawer of the dresser.
Closet
Any small room or side-room, particularly:
Dresser
Is not a fixed room feature.
They moved the dresser to the guest room.
Closet
One intended for storing clothes or bedclothes.
Closet
(obsolete) nodot=a, water closet: a room containing a toilet.
Closet
(heraldry) An ordinary similar to a bar but half as broad.
Closet
A sewer.
Closet
A state or condition of secrecy, privacy, or obscurity.
Closet
(obsolete) private
Closet
Closeted, secret (especially with reference to gay people who are in the closet)
He's a closet case.
Closet
Denoting anything kept a secret or private.
Closet
(transitive) To shut away for private discussion.
The ambassador has been closeted with the prime minister all afternoon. We're all worried what will be announced when they exit.
Closet
(transitive) To put into a private place for a secret interview or interrogation.
Closet
(transitive) To shut up in, or as in, a closet for concealment or confinement.
Closet
A small room or apartment for retirement; a room for privacy.
A chair-lumbered closet, just twelve feet by nine.
When thou prayest, enter into thy closet.
Closet
A small apartment, or recess in the side of a room, for household utensils, clothing, etc.
Closet
To shut up in, or as in, a closet; to conceal.
Bedlam's closeted and handcuffed charge.
Closet
To make into a closet for a secret interview.
He was to call a new legislature, to closet its members.
He had been closeted with De Quadra.
Closet
A small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
Closet
A toilet in England
Closet
A tall piece of furniture that provides storage space for clothes; has a door and rails or hooks for hanging clothes
Closet
A small private room for study or prayer
Closet
Confine to a small space, as for intensive work
Closet
(of information) given in confidence or in secret;
Closet information
This arrangement must be kept confidential
Their secret communications
Closet
Indulging only covertly;
A closet alcoholic
Closet liberals
Closet
An enclosed space for clothes.
She organized her closet by color.
Closet
A small room for storage.
The vacuum goes in the cleaning closet.
Common Curiosities
Do closets have drawers?
Some closets have drawers, but not all.
Can a dresser be moved?
Yes, dressers are not fixed and can be moved.
Can a closet be moved?
No, closets are usually built into the home.
What is a closet?
A closet is an enclosed space used for storage, often for clothes.
How do you maintain a dresser?
By regular dusting and ensuring drawers are not overloaded.
What is a dresser?
A dresser is a piece of furniture with drawers for storing clothes.
Can dressers be customized?
Dressers are usually not customizable, apart from changing knobs or pulls.
Are closets considered furniture?
No, they are considered part of the home’s construction.
How do you organize a closet?
By using shelves, rods, and sometimes built-in drawers or bins.
Do you need both a closet and a dresser?
It depends on your storage needs and space availability.
Is a dresser for folding clothes?
Yes, clothes are usually folded in dressers.
Can closets be customized?
Yes, closets can be fitted with various organizational systems.
Do dressers have doors?
Generally, no. Dressers have drawers, not doors.
Is a closet for hanging clothes?
Yes, closets are often used for hanging clothes.
What materials are dressers made from?
Dressers can be made from wood, metal, plastic, or a combination of materials.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
