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Glite Dictionary
doorframe

doorframe

5 1.4
A piece of wood or metal around a door that holds it in the wall
  • noun
  • /ˈdɔːrˌfreɪm/
translation icon : marco de la puerta
  • Morgan was leaning against the doorframe of the back room, just watching her.
  • leans against the doorframe
  • nailed to the doorframe
  • wood of the doorframe

Examples

  • When she got to the nursery, she gripped the doorframe, suddenly dizzy.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • "Please enter," Arnaud said, indicating the open doorframe with his cane.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Through the crack in the doorframe, he saw she was holding a book.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Ali closed her eyes and leaned against the doorframe of her storage room.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The loose molding around the doorframe falls to the floor.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Teddy crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his head back against the doorframe.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • "Joe stepped closer and gripped the bleached gray doorframe with his left hand.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • John rests his head against the doorframe and heaves a sigh of relief.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Nathalie leaned against the doorframe, silhouetted by the cherubs and garlands in the hall.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Ali closed her eyes and leaned against the doorframe of her storage room.

Synonyms

frame
vsdoorframe
135 1.0

A rigid border that surrounds and supports a picture or mirror

is the specific support for a door within a wall, not general use
casing
vsdoorframe
  • Specialized
1 5.2

A frame that covers the edges around a door or window

is the structural support around the opening, not mainly a decorative finish
doorcase
vsdoorframe
7.0

A frame around a doorway that holds a door

is the support built into the wall rather than merely the doorway surround

Surface Forms

doorframe singular
doorframes plural

Morphology

doorframe = door + frame (transparent) = door + frame

A straightforward compound whose meaning ('the frame for a door') is directly derivable from 'door' + 'frame'.

Etymology

Doorframe is simply the two words door and frame put together, where frame means 'a structure around something' or 'a supporting border'. Think of a picture frame around a photo, so a doorframe is the frame that surrounds and supports a door.