stage door
- noun
- /steɪdʒ dɔr/
- I waited for the actors to come out at the stage door after the show.
- open the stage door
- walk through the stage door
- stood outside the stage door
Examples
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Suddenly, there's the sound of a stage door opening.
Fiction book (1999) -
I thought there would be fans waiting at the stage door, but it was deserted.
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Is there anyone at the stage door?
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- Shall I wait at the stage door?
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Meet me at the stage door....
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The stage door will be closing in 30 minutes.
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The stage door is locked!
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And I was going down the steps for the finale, when I saw my parents by the stage door.
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Millionaires all lined up outside the stage door, just about to open.
Fiction book (1990) -
The stage door opens, and standing there, in silhouette, is Dolores.
Fiction book (1994)
Synonyms
A way or chance to get something better, for example a job
A side passage in an ancient Greek theatre that actors or the chorus use to enter and leave the stage
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an entrance to the backstage area' is directly and compositionally derived from 'stage' (performance platform) + 'door' (entryway): it denotes the door associated with the stage. This is a regular noun–noun compound pattern found across languages and in English, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the sense.
Etymology
The noun stage door is the real door at the side or back of a theater that leads to the 'backstage'. Because this is where 'performers' come and fans wait for 'autographs', the phrase means the entrance used by actors and theater staff.