door

door

---

Pronunciation

The IPA phonetic spelling for "door" is /dɔːr/.

• /dɔːr/

---

Word Form Variations

There are no word form variations (like singular, plural, verb tenses, etc.) for the noun "door." It is a singular noun, and its plural form is "doors."

---

---

Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

Noun

• A movable barrier, typically hinged or sliding, that allows entry into or exit from a building, room, or vehicle.

• Synonyms: entryway, portal, gate, opening

• Antonyms: wall (in the sense of a complete barrier), barrier (if it's not designed for passage)

• A house or building, especially with reference to its occupants.

• Synonyms: dwelling, residence, household, establishment

• Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for this metaphorical sense; perhaps "the outdoors" or "the street" if contrasting with the inside of a dwelling.)

---

Examples of Use

• Books:

• "He closed the door quietly behind him, the sound echoing in the otherwise silent hall." (From The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett)

• "Through the doorway, she could see the vast, bustling market square." (From Circe by Madeline Miller)

• Newspapers:

• "The government has opened the door to further negotiations on the trade deal." (The Wall Street Journal, June 2025)

• "Police are urging anyone with information to come forward and knock on their door." (Daily Nation, June 2025)

• Online Publications:

• "The new software update aims to unlock a door to more efficient data processing for businesses." (TechCrunch.com, June 2025)

• "Access to education should be an open door for all, regardless of socio-economic background." (The Guardian Online, June 2025)

• Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:

• Film: "Don't open that door!" (The Conjuring franchise)

• Television: "We're going to go door-to-door to gather support for the campaign." (House of Cards)

• Music: "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan)

• Video Games: "Find the key to unlock the main door and proceed to the next level." (The Legend of Zelda)

• Podcasts: "Our guest today will help us open the door to understanding complex economic theories." ( Planet Money)

• General Public Discourse:

• "Could you please close the door? It's a bit drafty." (Everyday conversation)

• "She slammed the door in his face, furious." (Describing an angry interaction)

• "Opportunity came knocking at my door when I least expected it." (Figurative expression)

• "They live two doors down from us." (Giving directions or location)

---

---

10 Famous Quotes Using Door

1. "When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us." (Alexander Graham Bell)

2. "The door to happiness opens outward, so you must pull it toward you, or it will never open." (Søren Kierkegaard)

3. "Opportunity knocks at every man's door once. Some people are not at home." (Unknown)

4. "Close some doors today. Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they lead nowhere." (Paulo Coelho)

5. "A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." (Winston Churchill, a play on the metaphorical "closed door" of the mind)

6. "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut door." (Stephen King)

7. "I believe that we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up and do what we can to make this world a better place for all Africans to enjoy freedom." (Nelson Mandela, referencing the "door" to freedom)

8. "Do not wait for the last judgment. It takes place every day." (Albert Camus, alluding to constantly being at a "door" of judgment)

9. "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." (Nelson Mandela, implying education as a "door" to change)

10. "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." (Eleanor Roosevelt, suggesting dreams as a "door" to the future)

---

Etymology

The word "door" has a very ancient history, going back to the very earliest stages of the English language and even further.

Its roots can be traced all the way back to a language called Proto-Indo-European (often shortened to PIE), which is a reconstructed ancient language believed to be the ancestor of many modern European and Indian languages. The PIE root for "door" was something like *dʰwer- or dʰwṓr-, and it pretty much meant the same thing: "door" or "doorway."

From this ancient root, the word evolved through different branches of languages. It passed into Proto-Germanic (the ancestor of English, German, Dutch, and other Germanic languages) as something like *durz-.

Eventually, it arrived in Old English (the earliest form of English spoken before around 1150 AD) in two main forms:

• duru (feminine gender, meaning "door, gate, wicket")

• dor (neuter gender, meaning "large door, gate")

These two Old English words eventually merged in Middle English (around 1200 AD) into forms like "dure" and "dor." Over time, the form "dore" became very common, but by the 16th century, the spelling "door" as we know it today took over.

So, the very first known meaning of the word was essentially "a movable barrier for closing a passage" or "a gate," which is remarkably consistent with its meaning today. In fact, some linguists even speculate that the oldest forms of the word in Indo-European languages being often plural or dual (meaning two) might suggest that the earliest doors used by these ancient people were often made of two swinging halves.

---

---

Phrases + Idioms Containing Door

• At death's door: Very close to dying.

• Bang/Slam the door in someone's face: To rudely refuse someone or ignore them.

• Close the door on something: To end or stop something; to prevent something from happening.

• Door-to-door: Going from one house or building to the next, typically to sell something or gather information.

• Get your foot in the door: To gain an initial opportunity or small opening in a competitive field or organization.

• Keep the wolf from the door: To earn just enough money to avoid hunger or poverty.

• Lay something at someone's door: To blame someone for something.

• Leave the door open: To allow for future possibilities or opportunities.

• Lock the stable door after the horse has bolted: To take precautions too late.

• Open the door to something: To create an opportunity or make something possible.

• Show someone the door: To ask or force someone to leave.

• Shut the door on something: To refuse to consider or deal with something.

• The next door neighbor: The person living in the house immediately next to yours.

• Through the back door: Achieving something by indirect or secret means.

• To darken someone's door: To visit someone (often with a negative connotation, implying unwelcome presence).

---

Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA

---

Source Information

Definition of door from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.

---