as in trapdoor
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Recent Examples of portcullis
The prior owner went all out on building a Medieval-style castle, with a moat, a drawbridge and a portcullis.
—
Katherine Clarke, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2022
Medieval amenities include a moat, two watchtowers and two gates, a drawbridge, an underground cave (complete with a Jacuzzi!), trap doors, and a genuine portcullis (a metal-and-wood gate typically seen in medieval fortresses).
—Mary Elizabeth Andriotis, House Beautiful, 20 Jan. 2022
Then Iraq’s new rulers lowered a paper portcullis, demanding fees and the completion of myriad forms.
—The Economist, 10 Apr. 2021
Pass beneath an imposing portcullis into Edinburgh Castle, home to the National War Museum and the 12th-century St. Margaret’s Chapel—believed to be the oldest building in Edinburgh.
—National Geographic, 12 June 2019
The front door is often guarded with a metal portcullis.
—Ruth Bloomfield, WSJ, 31 Aug. 2017
Katherine Clarke, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2022
Medieval amenities include a moat, two watchtowers and two gates, a drawbridge, an underground cave (complete with a Jacuzzi!), trap doors, and a genuine portcullis (a metal-and-wood gate typically seen in medieval fortresses).
—Mary Elizabeth Andriotis, House Beautiful, 20 Jan. 2022
Then Iraq’s new rulers lowered a paper portcullis, demanding fees and the completion of myriad forms.
—The Economist, 10 Apr. 2021
Pass beneath an imposing portcullis into Edinburgh Castle, home to the National War Museum and the 12th-century St. Margaret’s Chapel—believed to be the oldest building in Edinburgh.
—National Geographic, 12 June 2019
The front door is often guarded with a metal portcullis.
—Ruth Bloomfield, WSJ, 31 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portcullis
Noun
-
Despite knowing of the dangers, Mendez, a native of the Dominican Republic, and her conspirators stored fentanyl and press machines beneath trapdoors under play mats and cribs, according to court records.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Surprisingly, Martin is not the first artist to fall through a trapdoor in recent weeks.—
Caroline Thayer,
Fox News,
4 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Wrapped in lattice, the freestanding minaret features mechanized speakers that ascend to issue calls to prayer.—
Sam Cochran,
Architectural Digest,
17 Feb. 2025
-
John Bardeen, Leon Cooper, and John Robert Schrieffer figured out that at low temperatures, a material’s jittery atomic lattice quiets down, so more delicate effects come through.—
Charlie Wood,
WIRED,
12 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The Raiders’ revolving door of a front office during this span also didn’t have a quarterback plan fully in place.—
Vincent Frank,
Forbes,
25 Jan. 2025
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Washington has not solved the problem of the revolving doors between Big Pharma and government regulators.—
David Marks,
Orlando Sentinel,
13 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
After India beat Australia by four wickets in the semifinal, tickets to the showpiece sold out at the 25,000 capacity Emirates venue within 40 minutes.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
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The winner will advance to the final to take on India, which defeated Australia by four wickets on Tuesday to take one of the two finalist spots.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portcullis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portcullis. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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