doorknob

noun

door·​knob ˈdȯr-ˌnäb 

: a knob that releases a door latch

Examples of doorknob in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The incident with the noose and the doorknob came in early October. — Perla Trevizo, ProPublica, 3 July 2026

But besides hotel coffee makers and practically anything in a bathroom, other notoriously contaminated hotel surfaces include telephones, light switches, refrigerator handles, coffee mugs, and doorknobs. — Joey Skladany, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2026

Kids rub their eyes, touch a phone or a doorknob, and the virus can sit there for days waiting to reinfect someone. — Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 28 June 2026

The editing rhythms are clipped and almost metronomically precise; individual scenes feel less composed than synthesized from an array of swift, gestural fragments—a hand on a doorknob, a face at the window—which have the effect of heightening your attention. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 26 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

doorknob

noun

door·​knob -ˌnäb 

: a knob that when turned releases a door latch