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death trap

British  

noun

  1. a building, vehicle, etc, that is considered very unsafe

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I agree with French philosopher Etienne Balibar, who cautioned that to confront violence with more violence becomes a death trap for the left.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

In some situations, animals released after time in captivity face serious risks, and the wild can become what researchers describe as a "death trap."

From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026

Ogun declares her contempt for longboards — not to mention penny skateboards, which she says are a death trap.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

Lord Blunkett has called for an urgent review into what he described as "death trap" Tube platforms after he was injured falling into a gap as he boarded a train at Westminster station.

From BBC • Nov. 16, 2024

Some of the men at Ephrata thought of the B-24 as a death trap.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.