doormat

«doormat» in Mova's school dictionary: A thick mat by a door where people wipe the mud off their… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 4 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (a doormat, doormats)

meaning for a pupil

1) A thick mat by a door where people wipe the mud off their shoes before they go in. tree →

2) (informal) A person who lets others treat them badly and never stands up for themselves. tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday life and manners: wipe your feet on the doormat before entering a home. Some people keep a spare key under the doormat, which is not safe because burglars look there. In lessons about feelings and friendship, «don't be a doormat» means stand up for yourself kindly. Phrases: «wipe your feet on the doormat», «a welcome mat».

examples

• Please wipe your feet on the doormat. tree →
• The doormat says «Welcome». tree →
• The dog likes to sleep on the doormat. tree →
• A parcel was left on the doormat. tree →
• Hiding a key under the doormat is not safe. tree →
• Don't let people treat you like a doormat. tree →

note

Countable: doormats. One word. The second meaning is informal and a bit unkind; use it carefully.

In the corpora

• «Can we EAT a doormat?» snaps the Mole.
• The Mole: «Can we EAT a doormat? or sleep under a door-mat?
• For example, a cat that "left a present" on the doormat may have brought in a dead mouse.
• Burglars check under doormats, so the hiding place of a spare key is kept secret.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «doormat» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.