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dooryard

American  
[dawr-yahrd, dohr-] / ˈdɔrˌyɑrd, ˈdoʊr- /

noun

  1. a yard in front of the door of a house.


dooryard British  
/ ˈdɔːˌjɑːd /

noun

  1. a yard in front of the front or back door of a house

"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 dooryard

An Americanism dating back to 1755–65; door + yard 2

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 want the rebirth, the renewal, the rejuvenation, the dewdrops and showers, the first cuckoos and ascendant larks, the dooryard lilacs and budding twigs.

From Washington Post

Plus, many Vermonters have - for more than a century now - taken great pride in the ingenuity and resourcefulness of dooryard junkers.

From Washington Times

A great wartime president had died suddenly — just short of the victory for which he had worked so long — and it was April again, when lilacs in the dooryards bloom.

From Washington Post

Sounder panted faster, wagged his tail, whined, moved from the dooryard to the porch and back to the dooryard.

From Literature

Wang Lung stood there in his dooryard where year after year he had threshed his good harvests, and which had lain now for many months idle and useless.

From Literature