Definition

1. Noun:
   • The large sliding door of a barn: A "barn door" is the main, typically large and heavy, sliding or hinged door that provides access to a barn, a building used for storing farm products and sheltering livestock.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • He pushed the heavy barn door open to let the horses out.
  • The old wooden barn door was hanging crookedly on its hinges.

Advanced Usage

• "to be as big as a barn door": An idiom used to describe something that is very large, obvious, or impossible to miss.
  • The target was as big as a barn door, and he still missed the shot.
• "to close/shut the barn door after the horse has bolted": An idiom meaning to take action to prevent a problem after it has already occurred; it is too late.
  • Increasing security now is like shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted—the data has already been stolen.

Variants and Related Words

• Barn-door (adjective): Used attributively to describe something very large or wide.
  • The goalkeeper made a barn-door save.
• Barn (noun): The building itself to which the door belongs.

Synonyms

• Sliding door (specifically for the sliding type).
• Large door.
• Farm door.

Related Phrases

• "barn-door fowl": An old term for a chicken or other poultry that is allowed to roam freely, often going in and out of the barn.
• "barn-door skate": A type of skate (fish) with a broad, flat body.

Related Idioms

• "Couldn't hit a barn door": Used to describe someone who is a very poor shot or aim.
  • With his terrible aim, he couldn't hit a barn door from ten feet away.

Noun

1. the large sliding door of a barn