on someone's doorstep
74
3.0
- idiom
- If he turns up on your doorstep.
- show up on someone's doorstep
Examples
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Look, I just get so anxious, I mean, it's not every day that someone shows up on your doorstep with something like this.
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But nine months later, your mother turned up on my doorstep, begging me to get a doctor for her sick little newborn.
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And then you turn up on my doorstep
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After all these years, and Guy shows up on our doorstep.
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But it's on our doorstep!
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Anything that you can think of, you can get on your doorstep, now within 24 hours.
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You were left on our doorstep.
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A young girl turns up on your doorstep frightened, and you didn't ask any questions?
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Well, last night there was a knock at the door and behold, there was Raymond on my doorstep.
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I was surprised to find my old friend standing on my doorstep.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Being near a place or person
∞
1.0
At a short distance in space or time
438
1.0
At the house or apartment right beside yours
358
1.0
Close to a person, place, or thing
204
1.9
Very near in place or happening soon
139
1.0
Close by and easy to reach when you need it
26
3.5
Ready for you now or about to happen
12
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'.