entryway
Americannoun
Usage
What is an entryway? An entryway is a passage or room designed to be the entrance to a building. Entryway can also describe a figurative entrance, such as an entrance into a conversation, as in Because the twins never paused for breath while they were talking, I couldn’t find an entryway into their conversation. Example: Take this tank through the entryway of the fish store, and I’ll meet you around back with the animals.
Etymology
Origin of entryway
Explanation
An entryway is the door, passage, or general area of a building's entrance. The entryway of your vet's office might be decorated with pictures of dogs and cats. The opening, doorway, or small room you pass through on your way inside a house or building is called an entryway. The entryway to your house might be a very small area with a coat closet and a mirror, while the entryway of a palace is probably quite grand, and the town library's entryway might have book return slots and a security system to ensure no books get stolen.
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.
“You actually get picture-frame views from every aspect of the east side of the home,” says Coleman, adding that this can also be seen from the entryway, home theater, wellness center, and backyard.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
He walked around a person sleeping in the entryway.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
“It was an entryway, a gateway product to the brand.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026
The person's hands loom over the camera for several seconds before he or she turns, looking for something on the ground, then stepping outside the entryway and pulling up some plants.
From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026
Down the cement stairs, there is nothing but an entryway.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions 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.
