1. a person who works at the main entrance of a hotel, apartment building, or theat
1.nounB1
Definition
a person who works at the main entrance of a hotel, apartment building, or theater, greeting visitors, opening doors, and helping with tasks such as calling taxis or carrying bags
Example
The doorman at the Grand Hotel opened the car door for arriving guests.
collocation: open the car door for guests
Priya waved to the doorman as she walked through the revolving door.
collocation: wave to the doorman
Our apartment doorman keeps an eye on packages left in the lobby.
collocation: keep an eye on [packages / deliveries]
When it started raining, the doorman handed out umbrellas to visitors.
Yusuf worked as a doorman at a theater in London for twelve years.
A doorman works specifically at the main entrance of a hotel, apartment building, or theater, greeting people and managing doors. A concierge works inside a hotel and handles a broader set of tasks — booking restaurant tables, arranging tours, and answering guest questions. A porter mainly carries luggage, often in a hotel or train station, and may not be stationed at the front door. An attendant is the most general term and covers many service roles (parking attendant, locker-room attendant), so it lacks the doorman's specific entrance-focused duty. A guard is concerned with security and controlling access, whereas a doorman's primary job is welcoming and assisting. For example: 'The doorman opened the taxi door for her,' but 'The concierge booked her opera tickets.' 'The porter carried her suitcases to the room,' whereas 'The guard checked her ID at the gate.'
A compound of 'door' (an opening for entering a building) and 'man' (a person). The word dates back to the 1500s, when it referred to a gatekeeper or porter at the entrance of a large house or estate. Over time it came to describe a uniformed employee stationed at the door of hotels, apartment buildings, and theaters.