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doorstop

[dawr-stop, dohr-]
noun
  1. a device for holding a door open, as a wedge or small weight.
  2. Also called slamming stile, stop. (in a doorframe) a strip or projecting surface against which the door closes.
  3. a device for preventing a door from striking a wall or an object on a wall, as a small rubber-covered projection.
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Origin of doorstop

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75; door + stop
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for doorstop

Contemporary Examples of doorstop

Historical Examples of doorstop

  • Then he put it on the rim of the chest in such a position that if the lid were to fall it would be stopped by the doorstop.

    The Eyes Have It

    Gordon Randall Garrett

  • Anne hugged Patricia, and departed for her own room, stumbling over the doorstop as she went out.

British Dictionary definitions for doorstop

doorstop

noun
  1. a heavy object, wedge, or other device which prevents an open door from moving
  2. a projecting piece of rubber, etc, fixed to the floor to stop a door from striking a wall
  3. informal a very thick book
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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