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doorkeeper

American  
[dawr-kee-per, dohr-] / ˈdɔrˌki pər, ˈdoʊr- /

noun

  1. a person who guards the entrance of a building.

  2. British. a janitor; hall porter.

  3. Roman Catholic Church. ostiary.


doorkeeper British  
/ ˈdɔːˌkiːpə /

noun

  1. a person attending or guarding a door or gateway

  2. RC Church (formerly) the lowest grade of holy orders

"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

Etymology

Origin of doorkeeper

First recorded in 1525–35; door + keeper

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:

When Lord Young started to respond Lady Bloomfield replied: "I had to send a note to you in order to wake you up by the doorkeeper."

From BBC Mar. 15, 2022

The Senate post is officially called the sergeant-at-arms and doorkeeper, harking back to its 18th-century duties of keeping members inside the Capitol to conduct the business of government.

From Washington Post Jan. 18, 2021

A doorkeeper came over and said something to him.

From Seattle Times Jan. 28, 2020

I dropped in on a rainy day, feeling suitably furtive, and, having survived the close scrutiny of the doorkeeper, felt duty bound to partake of Dorothy Parker, a gin from Williamsburg.

From The New Yorker Dec. 2, 2019

The Commensal was out, the doorkeeper did not know where he was or when he would be in.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

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