deadfall

noun

dead·​fall ˈded-ˌfȯl How to pronounce deadfall (audio)
1
: a trap so constructed that a weight (such as a heavy log) falls on an animal and kills or disables it
2
: a tangled mass of fallen trees and branches

Examples of deadfall in a Sentence

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Winding roads diving deep between steep hillsides littered with jagged deadfall and boulder-size talus, towns few and far between. — New Atlas, 27 Dec. 2024 Then my friend Kevin and I did an adventurous run/hike up Pyramid Buttes this September, and there was so much goddamn deadfall. — Brendan Leonard, Outside Online, 14 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of deadfall was in 1598

Rhymes for deadfall

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Cite this Entry

“Deadfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deadfall. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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