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
"This is not a barn door easy miss," he said.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2024
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
“Old doors offer a lot of period character regardless of what era they’re from. While they’re often warped, barn door hardware can be used to create a slider for a pantry, a closet or mudroom.”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
A blacksmith opens a barn door, then quickly steps back inside, shutting it.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
