death trap

noun

: a structure or situation that is potentially very dangerous to life

Examples of death trap in a Sentence

That old elevator is a death trap. The factory was a death trap with too few exits for the workers to use in case of a fire.
Recent Examples on the Web Or there’s a glowering Michelle Dockery in the 1910s begging her amateur-pilot husband not to get back into that death trap of a plane. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 26 Oct. 2024 Readers have argued about whether the boy’s fate is a happy ending, with continued existence, or a tragic ending, with some kind of death trap, but the reality here is that neither of these possibilities are particularly cheering. Hazlitt, 23 Oct. 2024 The New York City Fire Department shut down a haunted house that the department called a 'death trap' Thursday. James Powel, USA TODAY, 16 Oct. 2024 The story turns on events that see hundreds of hikers become trapped on the Annapurna Range after snowstorms and avalanches turn one of the most breathtaking hiking trails in the world into a death trap. Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for death trap 

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

Word History

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of death trap was in 1828

Dictionary Entries Near death trap

Cite this Entry

“Death trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20trap. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

death trap

noun
: an object or situation likely to cause death
that old elevator is a death trap
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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