entryway
Americannoun
Usage
What is an entryway? An entryway is a passage or room designed to be the entrance to a building. Entryway can also describe a figurative entrance, such as an entrance into a conversation, as in Because the twins never paused for breath while they were talking, I couldn’t find an entryway into their conversation. Example: Take this tank through the entryway of the fish store, and I’ll meet you around back with the animals.
Etymology
Origin of entryway
Explanation
An entryway is the door, passage, or general area of a building's entrance. The entryway of your vet's office might be decorated with pictures of dogs and cats. The opening, doorway, or small room you pass through on your way inside a house or building is called an entryway. The entryway to your house might be a very small area with a coat closet and a mirror, while the entryway of a palace is probably quite grand, and the town library's entryway might have book return slots and a security system to ensure no books get stolen.
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.
The old factory at 120 Jefferson Northeast, a sand-colored brick building with its distinctive arched entryway, had gone out of business, and quickly.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
The front door was charred black and the smell of smoke and soot lingered in the entryway.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026
It still features the dazzling double staircase and checkered marble flooring in the grand entryway.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 17, 2026
“It was an entryway, a gateway product to the brand.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026
There was a payphone set in the wall of the entryway, as you went in, below a notice board with rooms to rent, and puppies and kittens in need of good homes.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
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.
