as in trapdoor
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Recent Examples of portcullis
The entrance to the car park even passes under a portcullis and guests’ bags go through an X-ray machine hidden in the rock-face.
—
Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
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
Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portcullis
Noun
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Authorities found a kilo of fentanyl in a closet and 12 more kilos of narcotics under a trapdoor in the children's playroom.—
Doha Madani,
NBC news,
4 Mar. 2026
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Richarlison became a hero for Everton in the 2021-22 season, scoring six times in their final 10 matches to inspire what had for a while looked an unlikely escape from the trapdoor that leads to the Championship.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Before the Dallas skyline, rope access technicians Ian Porter and Kain McLuaghlin of Highpoint Access scale the lattice-shell structure to make tweaks to new LED lighting installed on Reunion Tower, March 19, 2026.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
20 Mar. 2026
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Inspired by the helter-skelter brickwork of Chiang Mai's crumbling temples, their façades feature masonry laid in intricate motifs and wooden lattices that create beautiful shadowy patterns when the sun hits.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Dallas Stars’ revolving door of injuries this season continues with another forward missing time.—
Lia Assimakopoulos,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Despite recent national buzz surrounding Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, Las Vegas is still expected to select Indiana national champion Fernando Mendoza with the top pick in the NFL Draft, ending a run of a revolving door of starting quarterbacks since Derek Carr’s last snap in 2022.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Examples of artwork that debuted with Green Street’s August opening are a 14-foot-tall lighted signature sculpture, large white arches — referred to as wickets, a digital banner mural on the Green Street Market building and a mural greeting visitors inside the city’s parking garage.—
Janice Phelan,
Kansas City Star,
12 Mar. 2026
-
England appeared rattled in the field both by Brook’s lapse and the atmosphere produced by a raucous home crowd, none more so than Jofra Archer, the unfortunate bowler who was denied Samson’s early wicket.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portcullis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portcullis. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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