What does doorstop mean?
A doorstop is a weighty object — often a wedge of wood or rubber, a metal fixture, or simply a handy brick — placed against a door either to hold it open or to keep it from swinging shut. The word also carries a well-established figurative sense: any very large, dense book may be jokingly called a doorstop, implying its bulk makes it better suited to propping doors than to light reading. This playful usage is common in reviews and everyday speech, lending the word a mildly humorous tone when applied to literature. Doorstops themselves range from purely functional hardware, such as spring-mounted bumpers and rubber wedges, to decorative objects in the shape of animals or figures. The term is a straightforward compound of 'door' and 'stop', reflecting exactly what the object does. It should not be confused with 'doorstep', which refers to the step at an entrance; the two words differ by only a single letter but denote entirely different things, one architectural and the other practical household equipment.
A heavy object placed against a door to hold it open or prevent it from closing.
"He kicked the doorstop aside so the front door could latch behind him."
Also used figuratively for an oversized book.
Informally, an extremely thick or heavy book.
"The complete works filled a shelf with imposing little doorstops."
Humorous or mildly derogatory connotation about a book's bulk.
Regular plural; both the literal and figurative senses pluralize normally.
"Rubber doorstops were placed at every fire exit along the corridor."
One of the world's most famous 'books that double as doorstops' is the complete Oxford English Dictionary — all twenty volumes of it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of doorstop
Doorstop is a transparent English compound formed from 'door' (from Old English 'duru') and 'stop' (from Old English 'stoppian', meaning to close or block). The word emerged naturally as the object itself became commonplace, with reliable attestations from the 19th century. It shares its components with countless other English compounds such as doorway and stopgap rather than deriving from a classical root, so it has no true cognates beyond those built on the same Germanic elements.
How doorstop is actually used
Both senses are informal-to-neutral in register. The figurative sense for oversized books is common in casual reviews and conversation, often with mild humorous connotation. The compound is written solid (one word), though 'door stop' appears occasionally in older texts.
Easily confused with doorstop
A doorstep is the stone or concrete step at an entrance to a building, while a doorstop is an object used to hold a door open.