as in trapdoor
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Recent Examples of portcullis
The prior owner went all out on building a Medieval-style castle, with a moat, a drawbridge and a portcullis.
—
Katherine Clarke, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2022
Medieval amenities include a moat, two watchtowers and two gates, a drawbridge, an underground cave (complete with a Jacuzzi!), trap doors, and a genuine portcullis (a metal-and-wood gate typically seen in medieval fortresses).
—Mary Elizabeth Andriotis, House Beautiful, 20 Jan. 2022
Then Iraq’s new rulers lowered a paper portcullis, demanding fees and the completion of myriad forms.
—The Economist, 10 Apr. 2021
Pass beneath an imposing portcullis into Edinburgh Castle, home to the National War Museum and the 12th-century St. Margaret’s Chapel—believed to be the oldest building in Edinburgh.
—National Geographic, 12 June 2019
The front door is often guarded with a metal portcullis.
—Ruth Bloomfield, WSJ, 31 Aug. 2017
Katherine Clarke, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2022
Medieval amenities include a moat, two watchtowers and two gates, a drawbridge, an underground cave (complete with a Jacuzzi!), trap doors, and a genuine portcullis (a metal-and-wood gate typically seen in medieval fortresses).
—Mary Elizabeth Andriotis, House Beautiful, 20 Jan. 2022
Then Iraq’s new rulers lowered a paper portcullis, demanding fees and the completion of myriad forms.
—The Economist, 10 Apr. 2021
Pass beneath an imposing portcullis into Edinburgh Castle, home to the National War Museum and the 12th-century St. Margaret’s Chapel—believed to be the oldest building in Edinburgh.
—National Geographic, 12 June 2019
The front door is often guarded with a metal portcullis.
—Ruth Bloomfield, WSJ, 31 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portcullis
Noun
-
Scientists dug around the trapdoor to catch the bristly animal — and discovered a new species.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
27 May 2025
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Instead, Markiewicz said, the team decided to keep the quest a little more grounded, eschewing magic altogether and having Geralt dropped through a trapdoor into a pit of spiders.—
Oliver Brandt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 May 2025
Noun
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The technology behind these tattoos relies on advanced biosensing materials, most notably graphene, a single-atom-thick carbon lattice known for its conductivity and flexibility.—
Ximena Araya-Fischel,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
-
In a wafer-thin crystalline sample of nickel iodide, the team observed that the spins of nickel atoms were arranged in a spiral pattern throughout the material’s lattice.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
At the same time, the revolving door between activist nonprofits and government agencies is raising serious ethical and legal questions.—
Dan Eberhart,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2025
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Between the revolving door of coaches and the roster upheaval this season, the Rangers have been anything but stable.—
Arthur Staple,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
Noun
-
Death rattle – The sound of the ball missing the bat and breaking the wicket.—
Laurence Miedema,
Mercury News,
11 June 2025
-
The last time the Chevrons came to play the long format in the United Kingdom, Jimmy Anderson took five wickets on debut as a callow 20-year-old with peroxide streaks.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portcullis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portcullis. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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