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
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
“It’s always better to have a lock on the barn door than to go chase the horse once it’s out,” he said in an interview.
From New York Times ● Dec. 15, 2022
They shut the barn door and place a wood plank in its handles to secure it more, then back up, watching it closely.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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.
