Meaning & use
door ajar
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
Slightly open, but not wide open — used about a door, gate, or window.
Grammar: Comes after the verb be or another linking verb: 'The door is ajar.' Do not say 'an ajar door' in everyday English.
Patterns
- be ajar
- leave something ajar
- something is slightly ajar
She knocked, but the door was ajar, so she pushed it open.
I left the window ajar so the cat could get in.
The gate stood ajar and the dog slipped through the gap.
Common combinations
- leave the door ajar
- Please leave the door ajar so I can hear the baby.
- the door was ajar
- When I got home, the door was ajar and the lights were on.
- stand ajar
- The old wooden gate stood ajar in the wind.
- slightly ajar
- The bedroom door was slightly ajar, and I could hear them talking.
Synonyms and how they differ
- open
- 'Open' is the general word and can mean fully open; 'ajar' means only a little open.
- half-open
- 'Half-open' suggests about halfway; 'ajar' usually means a small gap.
Opposites
Word family
- ajar adjective
- The single word form; used the same way, after a verb: 'The door is ajar.'
Commonly confused: door ajar or ajar?
door ajar vs ajar
'Ajar' is one word and only describes something slightly open. Do not confuse it with 'ajar' in other languages, where it can mean 'garlic'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'ajar' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Ajar' follows the verb be: 'The door was ajar.' It is not used before a noun ('an ajar box', 'the ajar door') and it is not a verb, so 'He ajar the window' is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “door ajar”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.