Definition

1. Noun:
   • The sill of a door; a horizontal piece of wood, stone, or other material that forms the bottom of a doorway and offers support when passing through a doorway. It is the step or threshold at the entrance to a building or room.

Usage

• The word "doorstep" is used to refer to the physical structure at the base of a door. It is often the place where people stand before entering, where deliveries are left, or where one might sit. It is a concrete noun.

Examples

• Noun:
  • She sat on the doorstep, waiting for her friend to arrive.
  • The newspaper was delivered to our doorstep every morning.
  • He wiped his feet on the doorstep before entering the house.

Advanced Usage

• "On one's doorstep": This idiom means very close to where someone lives or works, often implying something is conveniently nearby or, conversely, that a problem is directly affecting one's immediate area.
  • We have a great park right on our doorstep.
  • The factory closure brought unemployment to the town's doorstep.

Variants and Related Words

• Doorway (n): The opening for an entrance into a building or room, which includes the doorstep.
• Threshold (n): A word often used synonymously with doorstep, though it can also refer more abstractly to the point of entry or beginning of something.
• Sill (n): The horizontal base part of a window or door frame; the doorstep is specifically the door sill.

Synonyms

• Threshold: The stone or plank forming the bottom of a doorway.
• Sill: The horizontal piece at the bottom of a door or window frame.

Related Phrases

• "At the doorstep of": On the verge of or very close to achieving or experiencing something.
  • The team is at the doorstep of a major discovery.

Idioms

• "On the doorstep": As described in Advanced Usage, meaning very near or immediately affecting someone.
• "Doorstep interview": A style of journalism where reporters question people at their homes, literally on their doorsteps.

Noun

1. the sill of a door; a horizontal piece of wood or stone that forms the bottom of a doorway and offers support when passing through a doorway