death trap

noun

: a structure or situation that is potentially very dangerous to life

Examples of death trap in a Sentence

That old elevator is a death trap. The factory was a death trap with too few exits for the workers to use in case of a fire.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
If being miles underground isn’t dangerous enough, the cave has a way of turning from a hostile environment into an outright death trap: sudden flooding. Scott Travers, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025 The destructive wildfire had stripped the slopes of the nearby Santa Monica Mountains and now rain could send a tremendous amount of sediment flowing into Topanga Lagoon, a death trap for fish. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025 The loan would reset every 30 days, the principal growing each month alongside the compounding interest in a convoluted death trap of penalties, fees, and clawbacks. Josh Condon, Robb Report, 8 Dec. 2024 Or there’s a glowering Michelle Dockery in the 1910s begging her amateur-pilot husband not to get back into that death trap of a plane. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 26 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for death trap

Word History

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of death trap was in 1828

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Death trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20trap. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

death trap

noun
: an object or situation likely to cause death
that old elevator is a death trap
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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