trapdoor
noun
trap·door
ˈtrap-ˈdȯr 
: a lifting or sliding door covering an opening (as in a roof, ceiling, or floor)
Examples of trapdoor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But wait, there’s more: A separate, ventilated shoe compartment opens up from the bottom of the backpack like a trapdoor.
—
L.a. Hubilla, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
At one point, the host of the tour opened a trapdoor in the floor for customers to descend a shaky, unsecured ladder into a dark hole.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
But the contract had been drawn with a trapdoor at Article 20, a clause that transported you across the world.
—Jesse Barron, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2024
Also known as trapdoor functions, these problems are easy to compute in one direction and substantially harder to compute in reverse.
—Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 20 Sep. 2023
Ultimately though, Henning decided to take the plunge and walk down into the trapdoor.
—Ashley Paige, Peoplemag, 21 June 2023
Little trapdoors open up to show a shadowy Karl, or an ominous phone, or a radio set in who knows where.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
Investigators have found more fentanyl hidden under a trapdoor at the New York City day care where a 1-year-old boy fell ill and later died and three other children got sick from apparent opioid exposure last week, police said.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 22 Sep. 2023
This species of trapdoor spider constructs a trapdoor to its burrow out of silk (and sometimes soil and nearby vegetation), popping out its head to snatch passing prey.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 31 Oct. 2023
L.a. Hubilla, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
At one point, the host of the tour opened a trapdoor in the floor for customers to descend a shaky, unsecured ladder into a dark hole.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
But the contract had been drawn with a trapdoor at Article 20, a clause that transported you across the world.
—Jesse Barron, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2024
Also known as trapdoor functions, these problems are easy to compute in one direction and substantially harder to compute in reverse.
—Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 20 Sep. 2023
Ultimately though, Henning decided to take the plunge and walk down into the trapdoor.
—Ashley Paige, Peoplemag, 21 June 2023
Little trapdoors open up to show a shadowy Karl, or an ominous phone, or a radio set in who knows where.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
Investigators have found more fentanyl hidden under a trapdoor at the New York City day care where a 1-year-old boy fell ill and later died and three other children got sick from apparent opioid exposure last week, police said.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 22 Sep. 2023
This species of trapdoor spider constructs a trapdoor to its burrow out of silk (and sometimes soil and nearby vegetation), popping out its head to snatch passing prey.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 31 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trapdoor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near trapdoor
Cite this Entry
“Trapdoor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trapdoor. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
trapdoor
noun
trap·door
ˈtrap-ˈdō(ə)r
-ˈdȯ(ə)r
: a lifting or sliding door covering or hiding an opening in a roof, ceiling, or floor
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