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
-
The gas would fill a box that was divided in two by a wall with a trapdoor.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
1 Oct. 2025
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Concluding Thought Since a personal guarantee is a pledge of all one's worldly non-exempt assets to back the underlying loan, a personal guarantee is basically a financial noose that one puts their head into and then waits to see if the trapdoor opens.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
Cut-off shorts were worn long and paired with stiletto boots, while baggy jeans featured intricate lattices of cutouts.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Functionally, the keycaps are well-made and large, though your muscle memory may take some retraining since the spacing is different from a regular lattice keyboard.—
Matthew Buzzi,
PC Magazine,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Still, the pass-game prowess is notable given the revolving door at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
14 Oct. 2025
-
But in terms of the fact that every weekend at my house was like a revolving door of people coming over and wine and food—that was pretty much my whole childhood.—
Bryce Jones,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That said, only Green emerged with any credit on tougher wickets.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Green Street’s impressive large white arches — referred to as wickets and reaching 25 feet in height — also incorporate design elements of Everything Changes with a Dream with maple-leaf patterns similar to the large sculpture.—
Janice Phelan,
Kansas City Star,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portcullis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portcullis. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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