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Synonyms

trap door

British  

noun

  1. a door or flap flush with and covering an opening, esp in a ceiling

  2. the opening so covered

"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.

At one point he noticed me looking at a trap door above our head.

From Slate • Oct. 6, 2025

When they stormed the building, they found a sliding trap door, disguised to look like part of the stone floor, from which metal stairs led to Fito's underground hideout.

From BBC • Jun. 26, 2025

By climbing a small wooden ladder to a platform and removing the trap door, I was able to photograph the conductor straight on and capture her expressions.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2024

The trap door then closes again by means of an elastic resetting mechanism.

From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2024

The trap door creaked when he opened it.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

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.