front door

American  

noun

1. the main entrance to a house or other building, usually facing a street.

2. Informal. anything offering the best, most direct, or most straightforward approach to a place, situation, objective, etc.

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front door British  

noun

1. the main entrance to a house

2. an open legitimate means of obtaining a job, position, etc

   to get in by the front door

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Etymology

Origin of front door

First recorded in 1740–50

Example Sentences

"We're constantly afraid," she told AFP outside her front door, above which hung a horseshoe symbolising good luck.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

Workers typically don’t have the technical depth to understand the cyber, data and other exposures their agents introduce or which bad actors they let in through the front door, said T.J.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

A large blue and white police tent had been pitched on their front garden, blocking views of the front door and leaving the house looking like a crime scene.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

“Seeing footage, I think, ‘I walk down this sidewalk, I know that front door.’

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

He could see Chip and Katherine standing hesitantly by the front door, as if they weren’t sure if they needed to come and rescue him or not.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix