idiom (verb phrase) · neutral
get one's foot in the door
UK/ɡet wʌnz fʊt ɪn ðə dɔː/US/ɡɛt wʌnz fʊt ɪn ðə dɔr/get·one's·FOOT·in·the·DOOR
to obtain a first small opportunity that could lead to further success in a company or industry
Examples
“She volunteered at the magazine to get her foot in the door.”
“Internships are a way for many graduates to get their foot in the door.”
“He used a temporary role to get his foot in the door at the company.”
Band 8 sentence
“By volunteering at a small paper she managed to get her foot in the door at a major publisher and later secured a paid position.”
Collocations
- get one's foot in the door at/with
- use an internship to get one's foot in the door
Word family
Common mistakes
have foot in the door→have a foot in the door / get one's foot in the door
put my foot in the door→get my foot in the door
Say it for a higher band
5get a job→6start working at a company→7+get one's foot in the door
Synonyms
gain a foothold
Easily confused
gain a foothold
“They quickly gained a foothold in the local market.”
Related words
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In Success
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