trapdoor

or trap door

[ trap-dawr, -dohr ]

noun

1. a door flush with the surface of a floor, ceiling, or roof.
2. the opening that it covers.

adjective

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of trapdoor¹

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

Example Sentences

She knows the location of the hidden trapdoor that leads to the rafters of the arch above the nave.

From New York Times

That relegation trapdoor might be creaking open for Carlisle...

From BBC

Reading need them to keep the trapdoor to League Two firmly shut.

From BBC

At the center of Messier 87, a giant galaxy 55 million light-years from Earth, is a darkness 24 billion miles across and as massive as 6.5 billion suns — a trapdoor to infinity called a black hole.

From New York Times

“We didn’t know there was this trapdoor you can fall through this far into the process.”

From Science Magazine

Related Words

• side door