doorstop

American  

[dawr-stop] / ˈdɔrˌstɒp /

noun

• doorstops
  plural

1. a device for holding a door open, as a wedge or small weight.

2. Also called stop, slamming stile. (in a doorframe) a strip or projecting surface against which the door closes.

3. a device for preventing a door from striking a wall or an object on a wall, as a small rubber-covered projection.

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doorstop British  

/ ˈdɔːˌstɒp /

noun

1. a heavy object, wedge, or other device which prevents an open door from moving

2. a projecting piece of rubber, etc, fixed to the floor to stop a door from striking a wall

3. informal a very thick book

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• doorstops
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of doorstop

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75; door + stop

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

doorstop doorstops

This sophisticated network is what can get the goods you order to your doorstop in hours, and it provides flexibility for workers who have irregular schedules such as college students and home caretakers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

She described his studio as "really shabby", with "all sorts of rubbish on the floor" and even "a Rodin being used as a doorstop".

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

Ignoring this opportunity is like discovering the Rosetta Stone and using it as a doorstop.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2025

How many copies of that 1,050-page doorstop actually got read?

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2023

She did it again, this time using me and my chair as a doorstop.

From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper

The move comes as the delivery sector suffers from increasing competition as people shop more online and get shopping delivered to their doorstops.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025

“Very expensive books are a big nothingburger,” book scout and estate buyer Larry Bardecki says, especially coffee-table doorstops.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 19, 2022

He used them as doorstops for his greenhouse and a shed he has.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 20, 2021

That beats being one of the many doorstops around the place, which describes just about everyone who isn't one of the main stars.

From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2021

I push him through a set of double doors, propped open with doorstops.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth

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