door
♦♦♦ door /d'ɔːr/ (doors)
1 [N-COUNT]
A door is a piece of wood, glass, or metal, which is moved to open and close the entrance to a building, room, cupboard, or vehicle.
I knocked at the front door, but there was no answer...
The policeman opened the door and looked in...
2 [N-COUNT]
A door is the space in a wall when a door is open.
She looked through the door of the kitchen. Her daughter was at the stove.
= doorway
3 [N-PLURAL] amount N down/up
Doors is used in expressions such as a few doors down or three doors up to refer to a place that is a particular number of buildings away from where you are. (INFORMAL)
Mrs Cade's house was only a few doors down from her daughter's apartment.
4
see also next door
5 [PHRASE] V inflects
When you answer the door, you go and open the door because a visitor has knocked on it or rung the bell.
Carol answered the door as soon as I knocked.
6 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If you say that someone gets or does something by the back door or through the back door, you are criticizing them for doing it secretly and unofficially.
The government would not allow anyone to sneak in by the back door and seize power by force...
7 [PHRASE] V inflects: PHR n
If someone closes the door on something, they stop thinking about it or dealing with it.
We never close the door on a successful series.
8 [PHRASE] PHR after v, PHR n
If people have talks and discussions behind closed doors, they have them in private because they want them to be kept secret.
...decisions taken in secret behind closed doors.
9 [PHRASE] PHR after v, PHR n
If someone goes from door to door or goes door to door, they go along a street calling at each house in turn, for example selling something.
They are going from door to door collecting money from civilians.
10 [PHRASE]
If you talk about a distance or journey from door to door or door to door, you are talking about the distance from the place where the journey starts to the place where it finishes.
...tickets covering the whole journey from door to door...
11 [PHRASE] N inflects, PHR after v
If you say that something helps someone to get their foot in the door or their toe in the door, you mean that it gives them an opportunity to start doing something new, usually in an area that is difficult to succeed in.
The bondholding may help the firm get its foot in the door to win the business...
12 [PHRASE] V inflects
If someone shuts the door in your face or slams the door in your face, they refuse to talk to you or give you any information.
Did you say anything to him or just shut the door in his face?
13 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you lay something at someone's door, you blame them for an unpleasant event or situation.
The blame is generally laid at the door of the government.
14 [PHRASE] V and N inflect, oft PHR to n
If someone or something opens the door to a good new idea or situation, they introduce it or make it possible.
This book opens the door to some of the most exciting findings in solid-state physics...
15 [PHRASE] PHR after v, v-link PHR
When you are out of doors, you are not inside a building, but in the open air.
The weather was fine enough for working out of doors.
= outdoors
16 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you see someone to the door, you go to the door with a visitor when they leave.
17 [PHRASE] V inflects
If someone shows you the door, they ask you to leave because they are angry with you.
Would they forgive and forget-or show him the door?
18
at death's door: see deathFrench door (French doors)
[N-COUNT] usu pl
French doors are the same as French windows.front door (front doors)
[N-COUNT]
The front door of a house or other building is the main door, which is usually in the wall that faces a street.next door
The adjective is also spelled next-door.
1 [ADV] ADV after v, be ADV, n ADV
If a room or building is next door, it is the next one to the right or left.
I went next door to the bathroom...
She was next door at the time.
...the old lady who lived next door...
The flat next door was empty.
[ADJ] ADJ n
Next door is also an adjective.
She wandered back into the next door room...
The wires trailed through other parts of the HQ into a next door building.
[PREP-PHRASE]
If a room or building is next door to another one, it is the next one to the left or right.
The kitchen is right next door to the dining room.
2 [ADV] n ADV
The people next door are the people who live in the house or flat to the right or left of yours.
The neighbors thought the family next door had moved.
[ADJ] ADJ n
Next door is also an adjective.
Our next door neighbour knocked on the door to say that our car had been stolen.
3 [PHRASE]
If you refer to someone as the boy next door or the girl next door, you mean that they are pleasant and respectable but rather dull.
She was the girl-next-door type.pa|tio door (patio doors)
[N-COUNT]
Patio doors are glass doors that lead onto a patio.re|volv|ing door (revolving doors)
1 [N-COUNT] usu pl
Some large buildings have revolving doors instead of an ordinary door. They consist of four glass doors which turn together in a circle around a vertical post.
As he went through the revolving doors he felt his courage deserting him.
2 [N-COUNT] usu sing
When you talk about a revolving door, you mean a situation in which the employees or owners of an organization keep changing.
They have accepted an offer from another firm with a busy revolving door.screen door (screen doors)
[N-COUNT]
A screen door is a door made of fine netting which is on the outside of the main door of a house. It is used to keep insects out when the main door is open.slid|ing door (sliding doors)
[N-COUNT]
Sliding doors are doors which slide together rather than swinging on hinges.stage door (stage doors)
[N-COUNT] usu the N in sing
The stage door of a theatre is the entrance used by actors and actresses and by employees of the theatre.swing door (swing doors)
[N-COUNT] usu pl
Swing doors are doors that can open both towards you and away from you. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use swinging door)swing|ing door (swinging doors)
[N-COUNT] usu pl
Swinging doors are doors that can open both towards you and away from you. (AM; in BRIT, use swing door)
1 [N-COUNT]
A door is a piece of wood, glass, or metal, which is moved to open and close the entrance to a building, room, cupboard, or vehicle.
I knocked at the front door, but there was no answer...
The policeman opened the door and looked in...
2 [N-COUNT]
A door is the space in a wall when a door is open.
She looked through the door of the kitchen. Her daughter was at the stove.
= doorway
3 [N-PLURAL] amount N down/up
Doors is used in expressions such as a few doors down or three doors up to refer to a place that is a particular number of buildings away from where you are. (INFORMAL)
Mrs Cade's house was only a few doors down from her daughter's apartment.
4
see also next door
5 [PHRASE] V inflects
When you answer the door, you go and open the door because a visitor has knocked on it or rung the bell.
Carol answered the door as soon as I knocked.
6 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If you say that someone gets or does something by the back door or through the back door, you are criticizing them for doing it secretly and unofficially.
The government would not allow anyone to sneak in by the back door and seize power by force...
7 [PHRASE] V inflects: PHR n
If someone closes the door on something, they stop thinking about it or dealing with it.
We never close the door on a successful series.
8 [PHRASE] PHR after v, PHR n
If people have talks and discussions behind closed doors, they have them in private because they want them to be kept secret.
...decisions taken in secret behind closed doors.
9 [PHRASE] PHR after v, PHR n
If someone goes from door to door or goes door to door, they go along a street calling at each house in turn, for example selling something.
They are going from door to door collecting money from civilians.
10 [PHRASE]
If you talk about a distance or journey from door to door or door to door, you are talking about the distance from the place where the journey starts to the place where it finishes.
...tickets covering the whole journey from door to door...
11 [PHRASE] N inflects, PHR after v
If you say that something helps someone to get their foot in the door or their toe in the door, you mean that it gives them an opportunity to start doing something new, usually in an area that is difficult to succeed in.
The bondholding may help the firm get its foot in the door to win the business...
12 [PHRASE] V inflects
If someone shuts the door in your face or slams the door in your face, they refuse to talk to you or give you any information.
Did you say anything to him or just shut the door in his face?
13 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you lay something at someone's door, you blame them for an unpleasant event or situation.
The blame is generally laid at the door of the government.
14 [PHRASE] V and N inflect, oft PHR to n
If someone or something opens the door to a good new idea or situation, they introduce it or make it possible.
This book opens the door to some of the most exciting findings in solid-state physics...
15 [PHRASE] PHR after v, v-link PHR
When you are out of doors, you are not inside a building, but in the open air.
The weather was fine enough for working out of doors.
= outdoors
16 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you see someone to the door, you go to the door with a visitor when they leave.
17 [PHRASE] V inflects
If someone shows you the door, they ask you to leave because they are angry with you.
Would they forgive and forget-or show him the door?
18
at death's door: see deathFrench door (French doors)
[N-COUNT] usu pl
French doors are the same as French windows.front door (front doors)
[N-COUNT]
The front door of a house or other building is the main door, which is usually in the wall that faces a street.next door
The adjective is also spelled next-door.
1 [ADV] ADV after v, be ADV, n ADV
If a room or building is next door, it is the next one to the right or left.
I went next door to the bathroom...
She was next door at the time.
...the old lady who lived next door...
The flat next door was empty.
[ADJ] ADJ n
Next door is also an adjective.
She wandered back into the next door room...
The wires trailed through other parts of the HQ into a next door building.
[PREP-PHRASE]
If a room or building is next door to another one, it is the next one to the left or right.
The kitchen is right next door to the dining room.
2 [ADV] n ADV
The people next door are the people who live in the house or flat to the right or left of yours.
The neighbors thought the family next door had moved.
[ADJ] ADJ n
Next door is also an adjective.
Our next door neighbour knocked on the door to say that our car had been stolen.
3 [PHRASE]
If you refer to someone as the boy next door or the girl next door, you mean that they are pleasant and respectable but rather dull.
She was the girl-next-door type.pa|tio door (patio doors)
[N-COUNT]
Patio doors are glass doors that lead onto a patio.re|volv|ing door (revolving doors)
1 [N-COUNT] usu pl
Some large buildings have revolving doors instead of an ordinary door. They consist of four glass doors which turn together in a circle around a vertical post.
As he went through the revolving doors he felt his courage deserting him.
2 [N-COUNT] usu sing
When you talk about a revolving door, you mean a situation in which the employees or owners of an organization keep changing.
They have accepted an offer from another firm with a busy revolving door.screen door (screen doors)
[N-COUNT]
A screen door is a door made of fine netting which is on the outside of the main door of a house. It is used to keep insects out when the main door is open.slid|ing door (sliding doors)
[N-COUNT]
Sliding doors are doors which slide together rather than swinging on hinges.stage door (stage doors)
[N-COUNT] usu the N in sing
The stage door of a theatre is the entrance used by actors and actresses and by employees of the theatre.swing door (swing doors)
[N-COUNT] usu pl
Swing doors are doors that can open both towards you and away from you. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use swinging door)swing|ing door (swinging doors)
[N-COUNT] usu pl
Swinging doors are doors that can open both towards you and away from you. (AM; in BRIT, use swing door)