door
Americannoun
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doors
plural
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a movable, usually solid, barrier for opening and closing an entranceway, cupboard, cabinet, or the like, commonly turning on hinges or sliding in grooves.
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a doorway.
to go through the door.
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the building, house, etc., to which a door belongs.
My friend lives two doors down the street.
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any means of approach, admittance, or access.
the doors to learning.
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any gateway marking an entrance or exit from one place or state to another.
at heaven's door.
idioms
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lay at someone's door, to hold someone accountable for; blame; impute.
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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.
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lie at someone's door, to be the responsibility of; be imputable to.
One's mistakes often lie at one's own door.
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show someone the door, to request or order someone to leave; dismiss.
She resented his remark and showed him the door.
noun
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a hinged or sliding panel for closing the entrance to a room, cupboard, etc
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( in combination )
doorbell
doorknob
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a doorway or entrance to a room or building
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a means of access or escape
a door to success
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informal sport at an early stage
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to lay (the blame or responsibility) on someone
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in or into the open air
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to order someone to leave
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of door
First recorded 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, Old Chursh Slavonic dvĭrĭ
Explanation
A door is a moving structure that when closed acts as a barrier to a room, house, building, or car. You'll have to open the door to let your dog come inside. Buildings have doors, and so do most vehicles. You might also have a special little door built into your own back door for your cat. Doors act as security, as they can be closed and locked, and also as ventilation when you open the door to let the spring air in. Being "out of doors" means you're outside, beyond all the doors of your house or building.
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.
See Examples For:
The afternoon I was there, El-Sayed had another campaign stop to get to, and soon his staff was moving him toward the door.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
India has also recently softened foreign direct investment rules, which could open the door to Chinese companies wanting to expand Indian investments.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Fontaine got his foot in the door through his father.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
They might also hesitate to install a shower chair or add handrails at the front door for all the neighbors to see.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
“Take it easy,” Mom says to me as she opens the door again.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Steel casement windows and oversize doors used throughout the house are salvaged.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
With it came the return of mobile payment services, while residents are hoping that the banks will open their doors again from Monday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
"When we first got in, we spoke to the manager, who said they were very sorry and there was no excuse for the doors to be open," said Al Roshoq.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Retailers are stocking a wide assortment of policies for the AI shopping agents suddenly headed for their online doors, the WSJ Leadership Institute’s Patrick Coffee reports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
I gave the doors a firm yank, but nothing happened.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
