doorstop

American  

[dawr-stop] / ˈdɔrˌstɒp /

noun

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

2. Also called stop.  Also called slamming stile.  (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.

---

doorstop British  

/ ˈdɔːˌstɒp /

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

---

Etymology

Origin of doorstop

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75; door + stop

Example Sentences

That 2,700-page doorstop, the fruit of 750 “editor-years,” was greeted with brickbats on its appearance in 1961.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 14, 2025

Ignoring this opportunity is like discovering the Rosetta Stone and using it as a doorstop.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 9, 2025

And he didn’t foreclose a future bid for governor, keeping the possibility propped open with this rhetorical doorstop: “Never say never.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2025

She told the cameraman, "My doorstop," she said casually of the Academy Award.

From Salon • Oct. 10, 2023

That’s what Nike looked like: a divine doorstop, splitting in two.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan