on someone's doorstep
1
3.0
- idiom
:
en la puerta de alguien
- If he turns up on your doorstep.
- show up on someone's doorstep
Examples
-
Look, I just get so anxious, I mean, it's not every day that someone shows up on your doorstep with something like this.
-
But nine months later, your mother turned up on my doorstep, begging me to get a doctor for her sick little newborn.
-
And then you turn up on my doorstep
-
After all these years, and Guy shows up on our doorstep.
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But it's on our doorstep!
-
Anything that you can think of, you can get on your doorstep, now within 24 hours.
-
You were left on our doorstep.
-
A young girl turns up on your doorstep frightened, and you didn't ask any questions?
-
Well, last night there was a knock at the door and behold, there was Raymond on my doorstep.
-
I was surprised to find my old friend standing on my doorstep.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Being near a place or person
511
1.0
At the house or apartment right beside yours
325
1.0
Close to a person, place, or thing
260
1.9
Very near in place or happening soon
240
1.0
At a short distance in space or time
106
1.0
Close by and easy to reach when you need it
8
3.5
Ready for you now or about to happen
4
2.4
Near you and easy to reach
Antonyms
How Near
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'very close to someone's home; nearby' is directly derived from the literal parts: 'on' (location) + 'someone's' (possessor) + 'doorstep' (entrance step). This locative composition and its small metaphorical extension to 'immediate surroundings' follow transparent, cross-linguistic spatial patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
On someone's doorstep comes from the simple image of something left on the step just outside a house. If something is literally on your doorstep it is right at your home and easy to reach, so the phrase now means 'very close' or 'nearby'.