barn door
Britishnoun
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the door of a barn
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informal a target so large that it cannot be missed
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photog television theatre an adjustable flap over the front of a studio or theatre lamp
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.
“The backstop becomes more important when the barn door is open,” said Matt Gardner, a senior fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a progressive group.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025
But ultimately, “access to pasture” means just that—the barn door is open, says Kestrel Burcham, a policy director at the Cornucopia Institute, a nonprofit consumer watchdog group.
From National Geographic • Feb. 16, 2024
She says a pocket or barn door is ideal for a mudroom because a swing door can get in the way.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 19, 2024
Chelsea, meanwhile, couldn't hit a barn door and lost any momentum they may have gained after their recent displays away at Fulham and Burnley.
From BBC • Oct. 29, 2023
The cow is standing in the barn door, chewing.
From "As I Lay Dying" by William Faulkner
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.
