doorknob
Americannoun
-
doorknobs
plural
Usage
What is a doorknob? A doorknob is the knob or handle used to open and close a door. Doorknobs are common on doors, especially the inside doors of a home, such as the doors of different rooms and closets. These tend to be metal and shaped like a, well, 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. A doorknob may also have a lock or keyhole to lock the door with. Example: The mansion was so luxurious that even the doorknobs were made of solid gold.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of doorknob
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:
Another big difference: Many foodborne illnesses, like norovirus, are highly infectious and spread between humans through something as simple as touching a doorknob.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Few signs of forced entry were visible on Sunday at the singer's home apart from a broken doorknob, an AFP journalist observed.
From Barron's ● Nov. 17, 2025
Static electricity -- the spark you feel when touching a doorknob or pulling on a sweater -- occurs when electrons build up and discharge suddenly upon contact with a conductor.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2025
“I saw a doorknob I liked somewhere, and when I went back, it was gone. I thought, ‘I wish I had a picture of that, just so I could have appreciated it more,’” Msrlyan explained.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2025
The shop—Birdie’s Tea Shoppe—even has a pink glass doorknob on its pink door.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
She was a bag of doorknobs, but the movie camera found the gazelle inside the unicorn and captured the joy she radiated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
Updating hardware like cabinet handles, showerheads and doorknobs is an inexpensive way to personalize your space and add character, says Monique Valeris, home-design director at the Good Housekeeping Institute.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
“If you are sick, avoid spreading illness by washing your hands frequently and cleaning frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs, light switches, and kitchen countertops.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2024
But the threat was not really lying on countertops and doorknobs.
From New York Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
Woo exclaims, leaping onto one of the diamond doorknobs.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
