doorway
Americannoun
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doorways
plural
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the passage or opening into a building, room, etc., commonly closed and opened by a door; portal.
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a means of access.
a doorway to success.
noun
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an opening into a building, room, etc, esp one that has a door
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a means of access or escape
a doorway to freedom
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of doorway
Explanation
A doorway is the place through which you enter a room. Some doorways have actual doors, while others are merely arched openings into a room or building. If you stand in your doorway watching your neighbor approach on his bike, you've probably got the front door open and you're standing in its space. The doorway to your living room, on the other hand, might be a simple arch or wide entryway. The word dates from about 1799, from door and way, which here means "space" — it's the space in a wall where a door sits.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“It was the dead of winter, and there was this 18-year-old, I would say, standing in the doorway, hunched over against the cold.”
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
He had been caught kissing a boy in a doorway.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Many have an emotional interest in building a life around the home itself, measuring their kids’ height on the doorway, watching their kids grow up in the house and then growing old in it.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
In Cave 103, the two figures sit on opposite sides of the doorway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Betsie stopped in the doorway with a tray of cakes.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Andy Burnham's "national drive" to stop people living in tents or shop doorways will include offering them "a route off the streets by Christmas".
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
But many of their homes aren’t suitable for aging because of stairs, bathtubs, narrow doorways and slippery tile floors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
The room was overflowing—people along walls, in doorways.
From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2026
Upstairs, you’ll find the intimate karaoke studios, which are decorated with red velvet walls and brass, curved doorways that echo the building’s deco arches, says Mic Drop’s interior designer, Amy Morris of the Morris Project.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026
Once Khyler does, we see three open doorways.
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
