trapdoor

American  

[trap-dawr, -dohr] / ˈtræpˈdɔr, -ˈdoʊr /

Or trap door

noun

1. a door flush with the surface of a floor, ceiling, or roof.

2. the opening that it covers.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or like a trapdoor.

Etymology

Origin of trapdoor

First recorded in 1325–75, trapdoor is from Middle English trappe dore. See trap ¹, door

Example Sentences

The park, which closed in late December, contains games and rides that reference past MrBeast videos, such as a trapdoor tower and catapults.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Jags will just have to focus on victory though, as they could suffer a big trapdoor fall if they suffer an upset defeat with Houston waiting in the wings.

From BBC

Sunderland, like Newcastle before them, eventually slipped through the relegation trapdoor in 2017, and spent eight years outside the top flight.

From BBC

As he is forced to descend into one of these by a ladder, his reflections echo those of Jonah falling into the deep: “Every nightmare, every fear, every fevered thought climbs down with me, step by step, down the ladder. I brace myself for total darkness, for the Hamas tunnels I’ve seen on TV, the ones we’ve all heard about . . . . Any moment now, the trapdoor will shut above me, and I’ll be buried here.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Scientists at the University of California, Davis report the discovery of a previously unrecognized trapdoor spider that lives in California's coastal sand dunes.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• side door