door

door

I.   noun

I. door1 S1 W1 /dɔː $ dɔːr/ noun [countable]
 [Language: Old English; Origin: duru 'door' and dor 'gate']

 1. the large flat piece of wood, glass etc that you move when you go into or out of a building, room, vehicle etc, or when you open a cupboard ⇨ gate:
   • Could you open the door for me?
   • The door flew open and Ruth stormed in.
   • Don’t forget to lock the garage door. ⇨ fire door, French doors, revolving door(1), sliding door, stage door, swing door, trapdoor
 2. the space made by an open door SYN doorway
  in/out (of)/through the door
   • Rick turned and ran out of the door.
   • I glanced through the open door.
 3. at the door if someone is at the door, they are waiting for you to open the door of a building so they can come inside:
   • There’s somebody at the front door.
 4. out of doors outside SYN outdoors:
   • I prefer working out of doors.
 5. show/see somebody to the door to take someone to the main way out of a building:
   • My secretary will show you to the door.
 6. two/three etc doors away/down/up used to say how many houses or buildings there are between your house, office etc and another building
  two/three etc doors away/down/up from
   • Patrick lived two doors away from me.
 7. (from) door to door
   a) especially British English from one place to another:
   • How long is the journey, door to door?
   b) going to each house in a street or area to sell something, collect money, or ask for votes:
   • Joe sold vacuum cleaners door to door for years. ⇨ door-to-door
 8. be on the door to work at the entrance to a theatre, club etc, collecting tickets
 9. shut/close the door on something to make something impossible:
   • The accident shut the door on her ballet career.
  ⇨ at death’s door at death(7), ⇨ behind closed doors at closed(5), ⇨ get in through the back door at back door(2), ⇨ lay something at sb’s door at lay2(19), ⇨ next door, ⇨ open doors (for somebody) at open2(16), ⇨ open-door policy, ⇨ open the door to something at open2(16), ⇨ show somebody the door at show1(20)
     • • •

COLLOCATIONS■ verbs

   ▪ open/close/shut the door • I opened the door and Dad was standing there. | • Can you close the door as you go out?
   ▪ slam/bang the door (=shut it loudly, usually because you are angry) • He strode from the room, slamming the door behind him.
   ▪ answer the door (=open it for someone who has knocked or pressed the bell) • Lucy ran downstairs to answer the door.
   ▪ a door leads somewhere (=used to say what place is on the other side of a door) • This door leads into the garden.
   ▪ a door opens/closes/shuts • We were still waiting for the train doors to open.
   ▪ a door slams/bangs (shut) (=shuts loudly) • I heard the front door slam.
   ▪ a door flies/bursts open (=opens very suddenly and quickly) • Then the door burst open and two men with guns came in.
   ▪ a door swings open/shut (=moves forward to open or backwards to shut) • The door swung shut behind me.
   ▪ a door slides open/shut (=moves smoothly to the side or back again) • The lift doors slid open and we got in.
   ▪ lock/unlock the door • I locked the door and turned out the lights.
   ▪ bolt the door (=slide a metal bar across to fasten it) • Once inside, he bolted the door.
   ▪ knock on/at the door (=hit it with your hand to make someone open it) • Who's that knocking at the door?
   ▪ bang/hammer on the door (=hit it very loudly and urgently) • A policeman was banging on the door across the road.
   ▪ tap on/at the door (=hit it very gently) • I tapped on the door and opened it.
   ▪ get the door (=open or close it for someone) • Could you get the door for me?

■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + door

   ▪ the front/back/side door (=of a house) • I heard someone knocking at the front door. | • Use the back door if your boots are muddy.
   ▪ the main door (=the door into a building that most people use) • The main door to the hotel is on Queen Street.
   ▪ the kitchen/bedroom/bathroom etc door • The kitchen door opened and Jake walked in.
   ▪ the cupboard door British English, the closet door AmE: • Both the cupboard doors were locked.
   ▪ the fridge/oven door • Steam came out as I opened the oven door.
   ▪ a car door • She heard a car door slamming.
   ▪ the passenger door (=for the person in a car who sits beside the driver) • The taxi driver was holding open the passenger door.
   ▪ a rear door (=a door at the back of a vehicle) • The kids opened the rear doors and climbed in.

■ door + NOUN

   ▪ a door handle (=that you move up or down to open a door) • Ella reached for the door handle.
   ▪ a door knob (=that you turn to open a door) • I turned the door knob and went into the room.
   ▪ a door knocker (=a metal object on a door that you use to knock with) • There was a brass door knocker in the shape of a lion's head.
   ▪ a door bell (=that you press to make it ring) • Adam walked up the path and rang the door bell.
   ▪ a door key • She was looking in her bag for her door key.