to show the door
6
6.7
- phrasal verb
- /ʃoʊ ðə dɔr/
- Informal
:
mostrar la puerta
- When the rude customer refused to comply with the rules, the staff had to show him the door.
- then showed the door
- shown the door and told
Examples
-
After the meeting, the manager decided to show the door to the employees who were not performing well.
-
Oh, deary me, I should have shown her the door after that, I know!
Fiction book (1993) -
It's time you showed him the door.
Fiction book (1993) -
I had Woo show her to the door.
Fiction book (1994) -
Take Boy Scout safety first, Smith, and show him the door.
Blog text (27) -
That's when we showed him the door.
Blog text (23) -
Obamacare will have us all sick before it is all over; in November, the voters should show him the door.
Blog text (5) -
Based on what we have seen so far, anyone who does turn out to be a malcontent will be shown the door before they become a real problem.
Blog text (34) -
Of course he's also the same guy who was handed his hat and shown the door for disagreeing with Rumsfeld.
Blog text (13) -
The headhunter interviews and confronts Lee, shows him the door, and calls client Proskauer Rose, which cancels an interview scheduled with him for that afternoon.
Academic text (1999)
Synonyms
110
2.7
To tell people to leave a meeting or room
8
6.5
To make someone leave quickly to show they are not wanted
5
6.4
Tell someone to leave a place in a rude or angry way
5
4.1
To make people or animals go away by waving your hand
4
7.9
Make someone leave quickly and forcefully
3
5.1
To lead someone politely out of a room or building at the end of an event
1
7.1
To force someone or something out of a place by searching
To end a relationship or job suddenly and harshly
To tell someone they have lost their job or show the truth about their situation
Antonyms
How Forceful
32
4.2
236
3.0
110
2.7
- Informal
6
6.7
- Informal
12
7.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal meanings of 'show' (point out) and 'door' (exit) give a clear cue — the phrase suggests pointing someone toward the exit, which maps onto 'telling/escorting someone to leave.' However, this is an idiomatic use (you rarely literally 'show' the door) and can be ambiguous without context, so the connection is only partially predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Show the door comes from the simple image of a host or guard pointing someone toward the door and leading them out. That's why it now means 'to tell someone to leave' or 'to send them away' in a firm way.