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
-
Anxious times for Forest, only five points above the relegation trapdoor.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Also unique to this new style is its circular design which replaces the traditional lattice mesh on the tongue and side ventilation cutout.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
16 May 2026
-
It was designed in such a way that it would be comprised of six lattice-like beams, which were prestressed end-to-end.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The Lakers were the tortoise by the game’s final buzzer, clearly gassed after trying to halt the revolving door of Oklahoma City bench options.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
10 May 2026
-
Their third boss of the campaign, Will’s brother Ed Still, was swiftly shown through their revolving door after the Championship’s regular season ended on Saturday with Watford 16th in the table.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
5 May 2026
Noun
-
But Kohli kept on accelerating from the other end before Narine got his only wicket of the final ball of his spell when Rajat Patidar was caught by Rahane at extra cover.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 May 2026
-
Coles also made a notable contribution with the ball, taking three second-innings wickets while bowling 30 overs.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portcullis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portcullis. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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