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doorway

American  
[dawr-wey, dohr-] / ˈdɔrˌweɪ, ˈdoʊr- /

noun

  1. the passage or opening into a building, room, etc., commonly closed and opened by a door; portal.

  2. a means of access.

    a doorway to success.
doorway British  
/ ˈdɔːˌweɪ /

noun

  1. an opening into a building, room, etc, esp one that has a door

  2. a means of access or escape

    a doorway to freedom
"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

Etymology

Origin of doorway

First recorded in 1790–1800; door + way 1

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.

"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

As I left the museum, I walked straight into a glass wall that I thought was a doorway.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

They recognized the doorway, in other words, but they weren’t falling through it the way I was.

From Slate • Mar. 15, 2026

“So I was incorporating things like the half doorway to symbolize their struggle.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

“You should go,” I tell him before he reaches the doorway.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

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.