ENGLISH
REFERENCE

open the door

idiom
Meaning

To allow access or facilitate.


Examples
SIMPLE

This new job will open the door to many opportunities.

CONTEXTUAL

Winning the national competition helped open the door for her to study at a top university.

COMPLEX

By engaging in open dialogue with the opposition, the diplomat sought to open the door to a lasting peace agreement between the two nations.

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