door handle

noun

, Chiefly British.

1. doorknob.

Word History and Origins

Origin of door handle¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

The bottom two thirds is skinnier so it fits between wheel wells and door handles, and then spreads out up top so you have more room to spread your arms.

From Outside Online

Minutes later, Buzbee walked out of his office on the 73rd floor of the tallest building in Texas, past walls decorated with press clippings celebrating his legal career and conference rooms with door handles shaped like sharks.

From Washington Post

It also enables the robot to turn door handles and open doors.

From Washington Post

Its most popular stunt video, with more than 67,000 views, shows one of the company’s boxy yellow robots extending its neck to twist a door handle and open the door.

From Washington Post

So when you see someone else forgetting to clean the door handles, cough into an elbow or wipe down the remote, gently remind them what they should do — and help get the materials they need.

From Science News For Students

Every handrail, elevator button, and door handle becomes a pathway for spreading disease.

From The Daily Beast

Her ears were sharper than his, and she had heard the dull rattle of the door handle.

From Project Gutenberg

All four of the boy's hands flew at the door handle, turning it carefully, this way, and back.

From Project Gutenberg

"The guests must not see one speck of dust nor one unpolished door-handle," Mor Inga said.

From Project Gutenberg

As she sailed by I managed to hook a finger around the door handle and get a foot inside.

From Project Gutenberg

The thief, hearing the steps of the patrol, suddenly turned his head and stood motionless, with his hand still on the door-handle.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Door Handle

What is a door handle?

A door handle is the handle used to open and close a door.

Sometimes, it means the same thing as doorknob. But the word doorknob most often specifically refers to a handle shaped like a knob—a part that sticks out and has a rounded end. Door handles in other shapes might be called doorknobs, but it’s more likely for them to be called door handles or just handles.

Another difference is that doorknobs typically turn. Door handles can turn, but they can also be fixed in place, like a vertical or horizontal bar.

The term door handle can also refer to the one that’s used to open a car door.

Example: I went to open the door and the door handle pulled right off—apparently its screws had gotten loose.

Where does door handle come from?

The first records of the term door handle come from around 1830. The word doorknob is first recorded soon after, around the 1840s.

Door handles on the doors inside a home, like on a bathroom or a closet, often jut out from the door to allow for easy grabbing and turning. They’re such a common part of daily life that we often don’t notice them or think about them—unless they break.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for door handle?

• handle
• doorknob

What are some words that share a root or word element with door handle? 

 

• door
• handle
• doorknock
• doorjamb

What are some words that often get used in discussing door handle?

 

• door
• doorframe
• doorjamb
• turn
• pull
• open
• close
• keyhole
• lock

How is door handle used in real life?

If a door handle has a rounded end that turns, it’s more likely to be called a doorknob.

anyway look at this really nice door handle 😁 pic.twitter.com/iYgHnGWdSk

— z 🦋 (@TOSHISMASH) December 3, 2020

I mean how many times can you catch your pocket on a door handle? A million it’s at least a million!

— Neil Friday McGourty (@Mcgourty22N) December 7, 2020

The door handle on my car just broke :) pic.twitter.com/bQEINJu4fP

— sir snaccsalot (@eileamkeam) December 9, 2020

 

Try using door handle!

Is door handle used correctly in the following sentence?

I was trapped in the room after the door handle broke off the door.