ENGLISH
REFERENCE

open doors

idiom
Meaning

To lead to opportunities or social advantages.


Examples
SIMPLE

Learning a new language can open doors for you.

CONTEXTUAL

Getting a degree from a top university often helps to open doors when you start looking for your first job.

COMPLEX

By cultivating a vast network of professional contacts, she managed to open doors that had previously remained firmly shut to others in her field.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    bang down the door

    To present oneself as a strong candidate for a role or achievement, explicitly or implicitly.

  2. 02

    blow the doors off

    To be much more important or impressive than.

  3. 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).

  4. 04

    darken a church door

    To go to church to attend a service.

  5. 05

    darken someone's door

    To arrive at someone's residence or location, especially as an unexpected visitor.

  6. 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.

  7. 07

    get one's foot in the door

    To initiate contact or a relationship; to gain access, especially to an entry-level job.

  8. 08

    get the door

    To open a door to help another person to pass through.

Last updated April 17, 2026