sliding door

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A door that opens by sliding sideways along a track instead of swinging on hinges.

   Grammar: Countable: one sliding door, two sliding doors. Often used in the plural for a pair.

   Patterns

   • a sliding door opens/closes
   • install a sliding door
   • sliding doors between something

   The living room has sliding doors that open onto the garden.

   We installed a sliding door to save space in the small bathroom.

   He left the sliding door slightly open so the cat could get in.

2. 2nounpluralfigurativeinformal

   A moment when a small choice leads to very different possible futures; used to talk about missed chances.

   Grammar: Almost always plural and usually in the phrase 'sliding doors' or 'a sliding doors moment'.

   Patterns

   • a sliding doors moment
   • it was sliding doors

   Missing that train was a real sliding doors moment in my life.

   Fans still call that transfer a sliding doors moment for the club.

Word forms

Common combinations

sliding glass door

The patio has a wide sliding glass door.

sliding door track

The sliding door track was clogged with dust.

open the sliding door

She opened the sliding door to let in some air.

automatic sliding doors

The supermarket has automatic sliding doors at the entrance.

a sliding doors moment

That phone call was a sliding doors moment for both of us.

Synonyms and how they differ

patio door

A sliding door that leads from a house to a garden or patio; narrower in meaning than the general term.

Opposites

Word family

slide verb

to move smoothly along a surface.

slider noun

a part that slides, or a small burger.

Commonly confused: sliding door or folding door?

Practice

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