Thesaurus results for PORTCULLIS

portcullis

noun

Definition of portcullis

as in trapdoor

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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 Then Iraq’s new rulers lowered a paper portcullis, demanding fees and the completion of myriad forms. — The Economist, 10 Apr. 2021

Recent Examples of Synonyms for portcullis

Noun

Daredevils dig Screaming Hyena, a 60-foot trapdoor slide that drops from the roof!

— Alicia Underlee Nelson, Midwest Living, 15 July 2026
Then around a dozen defendants took their seats after climbing steps that led directly from the basement floor into a courtroom trapdoor.

— Kaya Genç, The Dial, 9 June 2026

Definition of trapdoor

Noun

The processor also uses square-lattice architecture wherein most qubits are connected to four nearest qubits, an improvement over its predecessors.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
The exact value of the critical probability changes depending on the shape of the lattice — a square lattice has a different critical probability than a triangular one, and a 3D lattice has a different critical probability than a 2D one.

— Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of lattice

Noun

Nyamhuri celebrated his maiden five-wicket haul in the final over when Renshaw mistimed a shot on the leg-side and was caught at deep mid-wicket as Australia scored 66 runs in the final 10 overs.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
With the wicket of Saim Ayub, Robinson reached 100 wickets in Test cricket, only the third Englishman to reach that landmark with an average below 20, after Derek Underwood and Ian Botham.

— Paul Newman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of wicket

Browse Nearby Words

portals

portcullis

portcullises

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Portcullis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portcullis. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of portcullis

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

volition

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes