false bottom

American  

noun

1. a horizontal partition above the actual bottom of a box, trunk, etc., especially one forming a secret compartment.

---

Etymology

Origin of false bottom

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

Whitman’s Sampler and the Russell Stover Holiday Season Box with 52 pieces got new packaging and new dimensions that did away with what was, essentially, a false bottom.

From Washington Post • Feb. 10, 2023

To see whether the jellyfish were really asleep, they built a false bottom to the aquarium and lowered it—essentially “pulling the rug out” from under the creatures.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 27, 2021

"Maybe it was a false bottom," Iannetta said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2015

According to the indictment, the Canadians obtained the tusks in Canada and hid them in the false bottom of a customized utility trailer.

From New York Times • Jan. 12, 2013

They began secretly collecting them, and Mac had the idea of constructing a false bottom to the box and placing in it a tiny written message.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela