2 ADJ Someone or something that is doomed is certain to fail or be destroyed. □ I used to pour time and energy into projects that were doomed from the start.
dooms|day /duː mzde I /
1 N‑UNCOUNT Doomsday is a day or time when you expect something terrible or unpleasant is going to happen. □ …the doomsday scenario of civil war between the two factions.
2 N‑PROPER In the Christian religion, Doomsday is the last day of the world, on which God will judge everyone.
doo ms|day cult (doomsday cults ) N‑COUNT A doomsday cult is a religious cult whose members believe that the world is about to end. [mainly JOURNALISM ]
door ◆◆◆ /dɔː r / (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 police officer 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.
3 N‑PLURAL 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 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 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. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ The government would not allow anyone to sneak in by the back door and seize power by force.
7 PHRASE 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
16 PHRASE If you see someone to the door , you go to the door with a visitor when they leave.
17 PHRASE 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 death
door|bell /dɔː r bel/ (doorbells ) N‑COUNT A doorbell is a bell on the outside of a house which you can ring so that the people inside know that you want to see them.
door|keeper /dɔː r kiːpə r / (doorkeepers ) N‑COUNT A doorkeeper is a person whose job is to stand at the door of a building such as a hotel and help people who are going in or out.
door|knob /dɔː r nɒb/ (doorknobs ) N‑COUNT A doorknob is a round handle on a door.
door|man /dɔː r mən/ (doormen )
1 N‑COUNT A doorman is a man who stands at the door of a club, prevents unwanted people from coming in, and makes people leave if they cause trouble.
2 N‑COUNT A doorman is a person whose job is to stay by the main entrance of a large building, and help people visiting the building.
door|mat /dɔː r mæt/ (doormats )
1 N‑COUNT A doormat is a mat by a door which people can wipe their shoes on when they enter a house or building.
2 N‑COUNT If you say that someone is a doormat , you are criticizing them because they let other people treat them badly, and do not complain or defend themselves when they are being treated unfairly. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ If you always give in to others you will end up feeling like a doormat.