doormat

[dawr-mat, dohr-]

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noun

a mat, usually placed before a door or other entrance, for people arriving to wipe their shoes on before entering.
a person who is the habitual object of abuse or humiliation by another.

Origin of doormat

First recorded in 1655–65; door + mat¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for doormat

Contemporary Examples

Still, Molly Parmeter couldn't believe it when a thick embossed letter from Saint James's Palace arrived on her doormat.
Kate Middleton Refuses To Name Her Favorite Piece of Clothing
Tom Sykes
November 12, 2013
But who knows, years of being a doormat may finally erupt, much like Ndamukong Suh did last year when he stomped on another guy.
A Dummies Guide to the NFL’s Thanksgiving Games
Sujay Kumar
November 22, 2012
If he wins the presidency, will Romney drag his party toward the center or become a doormat for the arch-conservative wing?
Predicting How Romney Might Govern Requires Multiple Scenarios
Eleanor Clift
October 26, 2012
His rookie flailing set back the peace process (such as it was) and made him look like a doormat.
Obama: Eisenhower Republican?
Noah Kristula-Green
July 26, 2012
Lying on the doormat was another key that allowed entrance into the complex.
NFL Star's Love-Triangle Murder
Christine Pelisek
June 19, 2011

Historical Examples

Mr. Darco darted and shook her as if she had been a doormat.
Despair's Last Journey
David Christie Murray
"If you're looking for a doormat to wipe your feet on, I'll send for Tony," he jeered.
Oh, You Tex!
William Macleod Raine
Any man that wears clothes like a doormat will let you make a doormat of him!
Skinner's Dress Suit
Henry Irving Dodge
If you want to know, she's got a right to make a doormat of me.
A Texas Ranger
William MacLeod Raine
A sweet child with ted pigtails was playing with shells on the doormat.
Burgundy: The Splendid Duchy
Percy Allen

British Dictionary definitions for doormat

doormat

noun

a mat, placed at the entrance to a building, for wiping dirt from shoes
informal a person who offers little resistance to ill-treatment by others

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for doormat

n.

1660s, from door + mat. Figurative use from 1861.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper