doorway
Americannoun
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the passage or opening into a building, room, etc., commonly closed and opened by a door; portal.
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a means of access.
a doorway to success.
noun
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an opening into a building, room, etc, esp one that has a door
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a means of access or escape
a doorway to freedom
Etymology
Origin of doorway
Explanation
A doorway is the place through which you enter a room. Some doorways have actual doors, while others are merely arched openings into a room or building. If you stand in your doorway watching your neighbor approach on his bike, you've probably got the front door open and you're standing in its space. The doorway to your living room, on the other hand, might be a simple arch or wide entryway. The word dates from about 1799, from door and way, which here means "space" — it's the space in a wall where a door sits.
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.
Jazz music drifts into the night from an open doorway guarded by a resolute figure in a black suit.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Horton-built house in Slidell, La., with a ramp to the porch, a wide doorway and a community pond in the backyard that reminded her husband of his childhood on the bayou.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
"I like to think about it as walking through a doorway into how humankind explores the solar system going forward."
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
One night, Ed saw someone sleeping in the doorway of the building.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
Clare paused in the doorway, his expression grave.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
