open door
Americannoun
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the policy of admitting people of all nationalities or ethnic groups to a country upon equal terms, as for immigration.
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the policy or practice of trading with all nations on an equal basis.
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admission or access; unrestricted opportunity.
His experience had given him an open door to success in his field.
noun
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a policy or practice by which a nation grants opportunities for trade to all other nations equally
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free and unrestricted admission
adjective
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open to all; accessible
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(in industrial relations) designating a policy of management being prepared to talk to workers in the office at any time
Other Word Forms
- open-door adjective
Etymology
Origin of open door
First recorded in 1520–30
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 revolution turns out to be pushing on an open door.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
A police officer was patrolling her yard, responding to a neighbor’s call about an open door at her home.
From Slate • Oct. 23, 2025
Ruiz and Caballero Magaña remind their students of their open door policy — anyone is welcome to come and talk.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 5, 2025
"I'm not going to say it was easy. Roz, who put the cast together, did an amazing job - but we were pushing on a bit of an open door with most of them."
From BBC • Aug. 21, 2025
My aunt stared back at me through the inch or so of open door, inspecting me like I was a sack of mealy flour.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
