doorplate

American  

[dawr-playt, dohr-] / ˈdɔrˌpleɪt, ˈdoʊr- /

noun

1. a small identification plate on the outside door of a house or room, bearing the occupant's name, the apartment or house number, or the like.

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Etymology

Origin of doorplate

First recorded in 1815–25; door + plate ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

doorplate

“A handwritten sign on a wall, a name on a doorplate, a flyer on a telephone pole, or an unusual magazine at a newsstand would spin me toward a story.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025

He could distinguish fruit from leaves on a tree, and read the name on a doorplate where others could see nothing in the darkness.

From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Robert Ezra Park

The name on the doorplate of his house was Daniel Preston, for he had chosen a family name to suit himself—a privilege allotted to only a few.

From Watch and Wait or The Young Fugitives by Oliver Optic

Houssa Rifles, was, as his doorplate testified, the Managing Director of "Schemes, Ltd."

From Bones in London by Edgar Wallace

They are a great doorplate, giving the names of the family.

From American Indians by Frederick Starr

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