deathtrap

[ deth-trap ]

/ ˈdɛθˌtræp /

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noun

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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Question 1 of 7

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of deathtrap

First recorded in 1825–35; death + trap¹

Words nearby deathtrap

deathsman, death spiral, death squad, death tax, death tourist, deathtrap, Death Valley, death-valley curve, Death Valley National Monument, death warrant, deathwatch

How to use deathtrap in a sentence

It drowns in the underground deathtrap and becomes a meal for the plant.
This pitcher plant lures insects into underground deathtraps|Meghan Rosen|August 3, 2022|Science News For Students
Hidden beneath the soil and inside dark, mossy pockets below tree roots, carnivorous pitcher plants dangled their deathtraps underground.
This pitcher plant species sets its deathtraps underground|Meghan Rosen|July 8, 2022|Science News
Gleaming, gluey, deathtrap hairs have just betrayed the secret identity of a well-known wildflower.
Well-known wildflower turns out to be a secret meat-eater|Jaime Chambers|October 6, 2021|Science News For Students
Something took the peaceful life forms, shook them up, and turned this planet into one big deathtrap for mankind.
Deathworld|Harry Harrison

These brutal bosches are going to put themselves in a guetapens, a veritable deathtrap.
The New York Times Current History of the European War, Vol 1, Issue 4, January 23, 1915|Various
Yet you serve him and all the time have a deathtrap in your den.
Old Broadbrim Into the Heart of Australia|Author of "Old Broadbrim"
Instead of a garden of delights, they had walked into a deathtrap at the gate of entrance.
The Battle of New Orleans|Zachary F. Smith
For a dramatic moment, I held my head within the yawning deathtrap.
Autobiography of a YOGI|Paramhansa Yogananda

British Dictionary definitions for deathtrap

death trap

noun

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