as in portcullis
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Recent Examples of trapdoor
To O’Connor, humor is a trapdoor, a way to disarm the audience in order to deliver that emotional payload.
—
Senior Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Similar to the Broadway musical, the new movie ends with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and her strawman swain Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) walking into the sunset away from Oz, after the revelation that Elphaba staged her own melting death by hiding under a trapdoor.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025
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, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trapdoor
Senior Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Similar to the Broadway musical, the new movie ends with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and her strawman swain Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) walking into the sunset away from Oz, after the revelation that Elphaba staged her own melting death by hiding under a trapdoor.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025
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, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trapdoor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trapdoor
Noun
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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
Noun
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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
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Propped up in a display case just inside the lobby’s double doors sat the World Series trophy.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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The closet’s double doors had been tied together with a charging cable and the door was blocked from opening by 75 pounds of boxes, as shown in a photo the grandmother provided to police.—
Julianna Duennes Russ,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Jan. 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
-
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
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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
Noun
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For anyone who has ever stared at a mysterious door, hatch, or panel in their home and wondered what was on the other side, Bareilles’ video serves as both entertainment and a cautionary tale.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
23 Mar. 2026
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Video and images released by state media showed Kim’s daughter sticking her head out of the driver’s hatch of a moving, olive green tank while her smiling father sat on top with three soldiers.—
Hyung-Jin Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This material is often used for storm doors and big picture windows.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
23 Feb. 2026
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But even as the storm door begins to crack open, the details of what’s coming through it point to a problem.—
Greg Porter,
San Francisco Chronicle,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trapdoor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trapdoor. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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