Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A knob-shaped handle for opening and closing a door.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of the door.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a knob used to release the catch when opening a door (often called `doorhandle' in Great Britain)

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From door +‎ knob.

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Examples

  • It's simple for a thief to break glass panels and then reach in and open a doorknob from the inside.

    HOME SECURITY BASICS 2009

  • It's simple for a thief to break glass panels and then reach in and open a doorknob from the inside.

    HOME SECURITY BASICS 2009

  • Keep it sad around here for Tommy’s sake, he said, and went back to the lobby, where he pulled the doorknob from the wall.

    Least Resistance 2009

  • Keep it sad around here for Tommy’s sake, he said, and went back to the lobby, where he pulled the doorknob from the wall.

    Least Resistance 2009

  • The doorknob is the homeowner’s property, and pulling particles from that property seizes those particles.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Swiping Doorknobs and the Fourth Amendment: 2004

  • THE BOY Below the doorknob was a filigreed silver plate and a keyhole.

    The Waste Lands King, Stephen, 1947- 1991

  • I kick at the walls on roommate's side and then break a doorknob on the closet door.

    The Rules of Attraction Ellis, Bret Easton 1963

  • Beside the doorknob is a photograph of a halved screw attached to a piece of New Yorker letterhead that reads, "mutilated screw that came out of the MUNICIPAL BUILDING doorknob­-see if I can find one to replace it."

    The Chronicle 2009

  • Frankly, he looked like he might have an IQ somewhere between 'doorknob' and 'floor wax'.

    People/Poetry matrixleap 2010

  • Doorknob: No one has yet called "doorknob" so it remains the ultimate trump card in this crisis.

    Duncan Quirk: The Russia-Ukraine Gas Crisis 2009

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