doorbuster
Americannoun
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Informal.
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a retail item that is heavily discounted for a very limited time in order to draw customers to the store.
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the price of such an item.
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a device used to forcibly open a door.
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a person who breaks into a place by force.
Etymology
Origin of doorbuster
First recorded in 1890–1900; door ( def. ) + buster ( def. )
Explanation
Sometimes you'll find a long line of people waiting for a store to open so they can take advantage of a doorbuster, a popular product being offered at a very low price. Doorbusters are an easy way to bring in customers. A doorbuster gets its name from the fact that it causes a rush of customers, seemingly enough to break down the door! That's because the sale price usually applies only to a limited number of customers, such as the first 100. It may be a discount that lasts for just a few hours, so people are anxious to get in as quickly as possible, or there may be a very limited stock of the deeply discounted items. Depending on how attractive the sale item is, there could be a stampede. So if you're ever in such a lineup, be careful when the door opens!
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.
Known for crowds lining up at big-box stores to pounce on doorbuster discounts during the early hours after American Thanksgiving, Black Friday normally marks the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season.
From Reuters ● Nov. 21, 2023
After last year’s holiday season, which featured few traditional doorbuster sales, many shoppers, it now seems, are looking for discounts before they buy.
From New York Times ● Nov. 16, 2022
In recent years, retail stores have opened as early at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day for doorbuster deals on televisions and Instant Pots and AirPods.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2021
A pause is expected on so-called doorbuster deals and the ensuing madness created by crowds rushing into stores for limited discounts and fighting over electronics.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 2, 2020
Retailers are reimagining a shopping experience that has long hinged on Black Friday doorbuster deals and shelves of impulse buys.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 17, 2020
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.
