The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word THRESHOLD
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
T
H
R
E
S
H
O
L
D
More clues leading to the result THRESHOLD
- Hit hard by decaying portal
- Hammer Thor’s held making entry
- Dawn French very hot inside reserve
- Prime cut available to buy outside hotel entrance
- The Lords to be disbanded around end of March – at which point, expect to pay tax?
- Informed about hard right, she changed point of entry
- . Beat no longer, reaching edge of consciousness
- Flog ancient doorstep
- Doorstep salesmen initially persist they’re heartless to start with
- Opening there should collapse without EU
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "doorstep" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case doorstep = threshold.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does THRESHOLD mean?
THRESHOLD noun- The bottom-most part of a doorway that one crosses to enter; a sill.
- (by extension) An entrance; the door or gate of a house.
- (by extension) Any end or boundary.
- The outset of something; the point of entry, or the beginning of an action.
- The start of the landing area of a runway.
- The quantitative point at which an action is triggered, especially a lower limit.
- The wage or salary at which income tax becomes due.
- The point where one mentally or physically is vulnerable in response to provocation or to particular things in general. As in emotions, stress, or pain.