doorknob
Americannoun
Usage
What is a doorknob? A doorknob is the knob or handle used to open and close a door. Doorknobs are common on doors, especially the inside doors of a home, such as the doors of different rooms and closets. These tend to be metal and shaped like a, well, knob—a part that sticks out and has a rounded end. Door handles in other shapes might be called doorknobs, but it’s more likely for them to be called door handles or just handles. Another difference is that doorknobs typically turn. Door handles can turn, but they can also be fixed in place, like a vertical or horizontal bar. A doorknob may also have a lock or keyhole to lock the door with. Example: The mansion was so luxurious that even the doorknobs were made of solid gold.
Etymology
Origin of doorknob
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Few signs of forced entry were visible on Sunday at the singer's home apart from a broken doorknob, an AFP journalist observed.
From Barron's • Nov. 17, 2025
I could almost hear the click of the doorknob.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025
Static electricity -- the spark you feel when touching a doorknob or pulling on a sweater -- occurs when electrons build up and discharge suddenly upon contact with a conductor.
From Science Daily • Oct. 15, 2025
Are these monsters pure animal or can they work a doorknob?
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2025
Instead of a doorknob, it has a large metal hasp with a hefty padlock.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
