deathtrap

American  

[deth-trap] / ˈdɛθˌtræp /

noun

1. a structure, place, or situation where there is imminent risk of death.

   They escaped from the deathtrap just before it exploded.

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Etymology

Origin of deathtrap

First recorded in 1825–35; death + trap ¹

Example Sentences

KYIV, Ukraine — When the power is out, as it so often is, the high-rise apartment overlooking Ukraine’s war-torn capital feels like a deathtrap.

From Washington Times • Nov. 21, 2022

Gleaming, gluey, deathtrap hairs have betrayed the secret identity of a well-known wildflower: It’s a carnivore.

From Washington Post • Aug. 20, 2021

To think about your own home becoming a deathtrap is really painful for a lot of people.

From Slate • Mar. 1, 2021

Rodney Griffin, a construction worker, said he once told Almena, then a close friend, that the building was a deathtrap.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2019

“Only a certified idiot would set foot in there. Place is witched, and a deathtrap to boot.”

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs