ajar

adjective or adverb

: slightly open
left the door ajar

Examples of ajar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web More corporate projects will release under ajar source than open source. Forrester, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 Rivals with European commitments faced a more intense fixture list so the door could well be ajar for the side challenging for the title. Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024 The container’s back doors were ajar, and boxes had spilled out onto the sidewalk. Malia Wollan, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2024 Footage also showed an unknown man approaching the apartment at around 10 a.m. on July 29 and cracking open the door, which was slightly ajar, but didn’t enter the apartment and left shortly thereafter. The Arizona Republic, 9 Jan. 2024 Perhaps Leonard and Felicia’s relationship was not open, per se, but merely ajar. Rich Juzwiak, TIME, 20 Dec. 2023 Cover, leaving lid slightly ajar, and boil 20 minutes or until apples are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated; stir every 5 minutes. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2023 The person outside was Dean, who’d arrived with another Fort Worth police officer after a neighbor requested a welfare check on the home after noticing the door was ajar. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2023 Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, and boil until apples are tender and mixture is thick, stirring occasionally. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ajar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

earlier on char, from Middle English, from on + char turn — more at chare

First Known Use

1559, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ajar was in 1559

Dictionary Entries Near ajar

Cite this Entry

“Ajar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ajar. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ajar

adverb or adjective
: slightly open
left the door ajar

More from Merriam-Webster on ajar

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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