door opener
Americannoun
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a mechanism that automatically opens a door, as of a garage, when actuated by a radio transmitter, electric eye, or other device.
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Informal. something that is effective in leading to opportunity or success.
Sales experience can be a door opener for young executives.
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.
In the 1980s comedy “9 to 5,” Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin tie up the boss, put him in a harness and attach him to a garage door opener.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026
Amazon offers another option in certain parts of the country if you’re enrolled in Amazon Prime and have an internet-connected garage door opener: Its drivers can deliver packages inside your garage.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 15, 2024
He said he "reconnected" with the song, which he now saw as a "door opener".
From BBC • Oct. 17, 2023
"I hope we can now be a door opener for other organizations as well. That's what we're seeking."
From Reuters • May 24, 2023
Phil clicked the car door opener, but I was too charged up to sit down just yet.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
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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.