Standard Lemma guide

doorknob

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈdɔː.nɒb/
  • US: /ˈdɔɹ.nɑb/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D UW1 R N AA0 B Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A stupid person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

(especially psychiatry) To suddenly bring up a time-consuming topic when very little time remains to discuss it, often as a tactic to avoid conversation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: doorhandle

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: knob

History

Etymology

From door + knob.

Across languages

Translations

61 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مِقْبَض اَلْبَاب (miqbaḍ al-bāb) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Arabic: أكرة الباب (ʔukrat el-bāb) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Breton: dornell — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Catalan: pom — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Chinese Mandarin: 門把手 /门把手 (mén bǎshǒu) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Chinese Mandarin: 門把 /门把 (ménbà) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Czech: klika — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Danish: dørhåndtag — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Danish: dørgreb — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Dutch: deurknop — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Esperanto: pordanso — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Esperanto: pordobutono — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Esperanto: butono — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Finnish: ovennuppi — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Finnish: ovenkahva — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • French: bouton de porte — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • French: clenche — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • French: poignée de porte — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Galician: pomo — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Gallo: tianche — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Georgian: კარის სახელური (ḳaris saxeluri) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • German: Türknauf — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • German: Türknopf — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Greek: πόμολο (pómolo) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Greek: χερούλι (cheroúli) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Hungarian: kilincs — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Icelandic: húnn — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Ido: pordo-butono — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Irish: murlán dorais — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Irish: úll dorais — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Italian: pomello — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Japanese: ドアノブ (doanobu) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Japanese: ドアハンドル (doahandoru) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Khakas: ізік тудазы (ìzìk tudazı) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Korean: 문손잡이 (munsonjabi) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Korean: 손잡이 (sonjabi) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Macedonian: квака (kvaka) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Māori: pōrori — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Norwegian Bokmål: dørhåndtak — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Norwegian Bokmål: dørvrider — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Ossetian: дуары хӕцӕн (dwary xæcæn) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Plautdietsch: Däarenknoop — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Polish: klamka — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Portuguese: maçaneta — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Russian: дверна́я ру́чка (dvernája rúčka) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Russian: ру́чка две́ри (rúčka dvéri) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Serbo-Croatian: квака — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Serbo-Croatian: kvaka — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Spanish: perilla — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Spanish: pomo — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Spanish: pomo de la puerta — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Spanish: picaporte — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Swedish: dörrhandtag — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Tagalog: tumbol — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Thai: ลูกบิด (lûuk-bìt) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Tibetan: སྒོའི་ལག་འཇུ (sgo'i lag 'ju) — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Turkish: tokmak — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Vietnamese: tay nắm cửa — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Vietnamese: nắm đấm cửa — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Welsh: bwlyn drws — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
  • Welsh: dwrn drws — circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of a door
Real reading context

doorknob in complete knowledge articles