leave the door open
To maintain the possibility of something happening in the future.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I will leave the door open for a new job offer.”
“She declined the promotion for now, but she left the door open for a future role.”
“Although the negotiations stalled, the diplomat left the door open for further discussions to ensure a peaceful resolution.”
- 01
bang down the door
To present oneself as a strong candidate for a role or achievement, explicitly or implicitly.
- 02
blow the doors off
To be much more important or impressive than.
- 03
close the stable door after the horse has bolted
To attempt to prevent a problem that has already occurred; to design and implement a preventive mechanism that is too late (after the first failure instead of before).
- 04
darken a church door
To go to church to attend a service.
- 05
darken someone's door
To arrive at someone's residence or location, especially as an unexpected visitor.
- 06
don't let the door hit you on the way out
Used as a command to leave in haste, or to indicate that one is glad, or at least unmoved, to see the addressed person leaving.
- 07
eat and leave no crumbs
Synonym of eat (“to be very good at something; to rule; to rock”).
- 08
French leave
A departure taken quietly and unnoticed, without asking for permission or informing anyone.
Last updated August 10, 2026