doorstop

[ dawr-stop, dohr- ]

/ ˈdɔrˌstɒp, ˈdoʊr- /

noun

a device for holding a door open, as a wedge or small weight.

Also called slamming stile, stop. (in a doorframe) a strip or projecting surface against which the door closes.

a device for preventing a door from striking a wall or an object on a wall, as a small rubber-covered projection.

Nearby words

doors, doorsill, doorstead, doorstep, doorstone, doorstop, doorway, doorwoman, dooryard, doosra, doover

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for doorstop

Occasionally a pamphlet for a salsa class might be tossed on a doorstop or stuck on a pole near a bus stop.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread|IranWire|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Here are some of the juiciest bits of the 652-page doorstop.
Speed Read: The Juiciest Bits From a New Book on the Duke Lacrosse Scandal|William O’Connor|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Beck proudly announces that he now uses a bust of TR as a doorstop in a symbolic show of his displeasure.
The GOP's War on Teddy Roosevelt|John Avlon|March 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Anne hugged Patricia, and departed for her own room, stumbling over the doorstop as she went out.
The Mystery of Arnold Hall|Helen M. Persons

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

British Dictionary definitions for doorstop

doorstop

/ (ˈdɔːˌstɒp) /

noun

a heavy object, wedge, or other device which prevents an open door from moving

a projecting piece of rubber, etc, fixed to the floor to stop a door from striking a wall

informal a very thick book

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