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
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Contingent barrier notes, meanwhile, act like a trapdoor.—
Sergei Klebnikov,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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Elsewhere around the creaking trapdoor, teams have taken big chances on new forwards.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
The Athletic,
9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Even with leaders' interest in lattices or rock-climbing metaphors, the research field remains stuck in vertical models.—
Tonushree Mondal,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
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The white balconies, with their lattice designs, were meant to let in the sun and keep out the rain.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Kelli is brash and benignly ostentatious with her cackling laugh and revolving door of unpredictable fashions (my jaw dropped at her look for Coyote Ugly), another indicator of a great parody Housewife.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2025
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Fans have been enjoying showcasing how the new trailers have unlocked new fears including those who removed their septum rings following the first trailer and those reacting to glass falling into ice, lawnmowers, trampolines, revolving doors and glass floors.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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With the match poised on a knife-edge, India’s captain Rohit Sharma sent Bumrah in to bowl his final two overs well ahead of schedule and the star bowler repaid his captain by stymieing the run rate and taking the wicket of Marco Jansen for good measure.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN,
29 June 2024
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The venue will be reshaped to the field dimensions of cricket, which differ markedly to baseball, and specialized drop-in turf wickets will be installed.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portcullis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portcullis. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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