Meaning & use
doorknob
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A round handle on a door that you turn or pull to open or close it.
Grammar: Countable: 'a doorknob', 'two doorknobs'. Often used with 'turn' or 'grab'.
Patterns
- turn the doorknob
- grab the doorknob
- a doorknob on something
She turned the doorknob quietly and slipped into the room.
The doorknob is loose and needs to be tightened.
He wiped the doorknob with a cloth to clean it.
Word forms
| plural | doorknobs |
|---|
Common combinations
- turn the doorknob
- Turn the doorknob to the right to open the door.
- a loose doorknob
- The loose doorknob rattled every time someone walked by.
- polish the doorknob
- He polished the brass doorknob until it shone.
- doorknob height
- The light switch is at doorknob height.
Synonyms and how they differ
- door handle
- Door handle is a more general term that includes both round knobs and straight bar handles, while doorknob usually means the round turning type.
- knob
- Knob alone can refer to any rounded handle or a round lump, so it is less specific than doorknob.
Word family
- doorknob noun
- The base noun; no common derived forms exist for this compound.
Commonly confused: doorknob or door handle? doorknob or doorstop?
doorknob vs door handle
A door handle can be a lever or a bar, while a doorknob is specifically the round, turning kind. Many people use them interchangeably, but in precise descriptions they are different.
doorknob vs doorstop
A doorstop is an object that keeps a door open or prevents it from hitting a wall, not a handle.
Practice
The round handle you turn to open the front door is called a ____.
Choose one answer.
'Doorknob' is the round handle you turn. 'Doorbell' is a bell, 'doorway' is the opening, and 'doorstop' is an object that holds the door open, so none of them fit the description.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “doorknob”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.