(doors)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
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...
N-COUNT
2.
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
N-COUNT
3.
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.
N-PLURAL: amount N down/up
4.
5.
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.
PHRASE: V inflects
6.
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...
PHRASE: PHR after v [disapproval]
7.
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.
PHRASE: V inflects: PHR n
8.
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.
PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR n
9.
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.
PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR n
10.
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...
PHRASE
11.
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...
PHRASE: N inflects, PHR after v
12.
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?
PHRASE: V inflects
13.
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.
PHRASE: V inflects
14.
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...
PHRASE: V and N inflect, oft PHR to n
15.
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
PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR
16.
If you see someone to the door, you go to the door with a visitor when they leave.
PHRASE: V inflects
17.
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?
PHRASE: V inflects
18.
at death's door: see
death