open the door
idiom
: to make (something) easier or more likely to happen
—often + for or to
Her success opened the door for thousands of young women who wanted to play sports.
His experiences in the army opened the door to a career in politics.
Examples of open the door in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Laura Hern’s mom even traveled to Kentucky from out of state to check on her daughter, court filings state, but Tyler Hern didn’t open the door.
—
Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 2025
But the deal would open the door to invitations to White House events and discussions with officials.
—Helen Rummel, AZCentral.com, 2 Oct. 2025
In particular, the Pacers’ lack of a real starting center could open the door for extensive Walker minutes as a frontcourt reserve — either by playing backup center himself or by playing Toppin as a small-ball center and running Walker next to him.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
You could one day be spared from ever experiencing the debilitating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)—thanks to a new discovery that could help open the door to prevention.
—Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for open the door
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 2025
But the deal would open the door to invitations to White House events and discussions with officials.
—Helen Rummel, AZCentral.com, 2 Oct. 2025
In particular, the Pacers’ lack of a real starting center could open the door for extensive Walker minutes as a frontcourt reserve — either by playing backup center himself or by playing Toppin as a small-ball center and running Walker next to him.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
You could one day be spared from ever experiencing the debilitating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)—thanks to a new discovery that could help open the door to prevention.
—Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for open the door
Cite this Entry
“Open the door.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20the%20door. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share