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definitions

door

[dawr, dohr]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR door ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a movable, usually solid, barrier for opening and closing an entranceway, cupboard, cabinet, or the like, commonly turning on hinges or sliding in grooves.
a doorway: to go through the door.
the building, house, etc., to which a door belongs: My friend lives two doors down the street.
any means of approach, admittance, or access: the doors to learning.
any gateway marking an entrance or exit from one place or state to another: at heaven's door.

Idioms

    lay at someone's door, to hold someone accountable for; blame; impute.
    leave the door open, to allow the possibility of accommodation or change; be open to reconsideration: The boss rejected our idea but left the door open for discussing it again next year.
    lie at someone's door, to be the responsibility of; be imputable to: One's mistakes often lie at one's own door.
    show someone the door, to request or order someone to leave; dismiss: She resented his remark and showed him the door.

Origin of door

before 900; Middle English dore, Old English duru door, dor gate; akin to German Tür, Old Norse dyrr, Greek thýra, Latin foris, Old Irish dorus, OCS dvĭrĭ
Related formsdoor·less, adjectivehalf-door, adjective, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for door

gate, exit, postern, opening, entryway, hatchway, ingress, egress, portal, hatch, aperture, entry, gateway, slammer

Examples from the Web for door

Contemporary Examples of door

Historical Examples of door

  • Uncle Peter stood in a flood of light at the door of his room.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • The door remaining locked, he drew back and kicked the door powerfully.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • The door proved to be locked, but the windows were easily raised.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • Ben had drawn off his boots, and was firing them one after the other at the door.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • "Nothing, only you locked the door by mistake," said Ben, coolly.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

British Dictionary definitions for door

door

noun

  1. a hinged or sliding panel for closing the entrance to a room, cupboard, etc
  2. (in combination)doorbell; doorknob
a doorway or entrance to a room or building
a means of access or escapea door to success
early doors British informal esp sport at an early stage
lay at someone's door to lay (the blame or responsibility) on someone
out of doors in or into the open air
show someone the door to order someone to leave
See also next door

Word Origin for door

Old English duru; related to Old Frisian dure, Old Norse dyrr, Old High German turi, Latin forēs, Greek thura
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for door
n.

Middle English merger of Old English dor (neuter; plural doru) "large door, gate," and Old English duru (fem., plural dura) "door, gate, wicket;" both from Proto-Germanic *dur- (cf. Old Saxon duru, Old Norse dyrr, Danish dør, Old Frisian dure, Old High German turi, German Tür).

The Germanic words are from PIE *dhwer- "a doorway, a door, a gate" (cf. Greek thura, Latin foris, Gaulish doro "mouth," Gothic dauro "gate," Sanskrit dvárah "door, gate," Old Persian duvara- "door," Old Prussian dwaris "gate," Russian dver' "a door").

The base form is frequently in dual or plural, leading to speculation that houses of the original Indo-Europeans had doors with two swinging halves. Middle English had both dure and dor; form dore predominated by 16c., but was supplanted by door.

A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of. [Ogden Nash]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with door

door

see at death's door; at one's door; back door; beat a path to someone's door; behind closed doors; close the door on; darken one's door; foot in the door; keep the wolf from the door; lay at someone's door; leave the door open; lock the barn door; next door to; open doors; open the door to; see someone out (to the door); show someone out (to the door); show someone the door.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.