1
: a trap so constructed that a weight (such as a heavy log) falls on an animal and kills or disables it
2
: a tangled mass of fallen trees and branches
Examples of deadfall in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Look for deadfall before pitching the Gatewood Cape, so as best to avoid being impaled by the top half of a tree.
—
Grayson Haver Currin, Outside, 2 Sep. 2025
And that’s the real danger when the trail is wet—climbing over, under, or around fresh deadfall when going downhill on slippery ground.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 20 June 2025
Furthermore, areas with a lot of deadfall timber tends to have an opened canopy, which promotes regrowth, effectively providing some food sources within the bedding area.
—Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 20 Mar. 2025
Winding roads diving deep between steep hillsides littered with jagged deadfall and boulder-size talus, towns few and far between.
—New Atlas, 27 Dec. 2024
Erin Gersh captured a limb from a large tree in her yard falling into a pile of deadfall.
—Morgan Womack, The Indianapolis Star, 29 June 2023
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Grayson Haver Currin, Outside, 2 Sep. 2025
And that’s the real danger when the trail is wet—climbing over, under, or around fresh deadfall when going downhill on slippery ground.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 20 June 2025
Furthermore, areas with a lot of deadfall timber tends to have an opened canopy, which promotes regrowth, effectively providing some food sources within the bedding area.
—Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 20 Mar. 2025
Winding roads diving deep between steep hillsides littered with jagged deadfall and boulder-size talus, towns few and far between.
—New Atlas, 27 Dec. 2024
Erin Gersh captured a limb from a large tree in her yard falling into a pile of deadfall.
—Morgan Womack, The Indianapolis Star, 29 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Deadfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deadfall. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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