door

noun

Simple meaning

A building with a door.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

dawr

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈdɔɹ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

metonymicchiefly in the plural
A building with a door, especially a house.
Anything providing a means of access (or escape)
“We closed the door to Haitian immigrants.”
figurative
A means of approach or access.
architecture
A portal of entry into a building, room, or vehicle, typically consisting of a rigid plane movable on a hinge. It may have a handle to help open and close, a latch to hold it closed, and a lock that ensures it cannot be opened without a key.
A swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
The proceeds from entrance fees and/or ticket sales at a venue such as a bar or nightclub, especially in relation to portion paid to the entertainers.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency: Very Common
Typical Use: General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: (metonymic, chiefly in the plural) A building with a door, especially a house.

Used this way, door is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: Matter-of-fact
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use door

“His office is the third door down the hall on the left.”noun

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Portal / swinging

closed doorcar door

Structure

screen door

Other combinations

front dooropen doorside doorkitchen doorbedroom door

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

door guardnounCompound term
Someone who guards an entrance.
door latchnounCompound term
Spring-loaded doorlock that can only be opened from the outside with a key.
door prizenounCompound term
Tickets are passed out at the entrance to a dance or party or other social function and a prize is awarded to the holder of the winning ticket.
back doornounCompound term
A secret or underhand means of access (to a place or a position).

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

doorwaynounRelated term
The entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building.
doorstepnounRelated term
The sill of a door.
doorbellnounRelated term
A push button at an outer door that gives a ringing or buzzing signal when pushed.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: building with a door or especially a house

doorwaythreshold

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.