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
-
His stomach dropped as the trapdoor opened beneath him, plunging him into a void of air.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The gas would fill a box that was divided in two by a wall with a trapdoor.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In conventional superconductors, these pairs are weakly bound and formed through vibrations in the atomic lattice.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
-
All this is wrapped in a soft body made of custom 3D lattice polymer structures and wrapped in machine washable fabric.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Plus, there was a revolving door at left tackle.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Reading scored three straight times in response to an early deficit, while the defense produced a revolving door of signature defensive plays to stave off a fiery Clippers (15-4-1) rally in the fourth quarter.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Before her five-wicket haul, Sharma (58) posted her third half-century of the tournament to help India reached the second highest total in a World Cup final after Australia’s 356-5 against England in 2022.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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In the series opener, New Zealand’s spinners dominated conditions, with Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner combining for five wickets to seal the victory.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portcullis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portcullis. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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