death trap

IPA/ˈdeθtræp/
IPA/ˈdeθtræp/

death trap — noun

1. a building, vehicle, or situation where people could easily be killed.

1.nounB2
Definition

a building, vehicle, or situation where people could easily be killed.

Example

Firefighters called the old apartment block a death trap after the wiring failed.

call [place] a death trap after [danger]

Nkechi called the basement flat a death trap because one exit was nailed shut.

Common collocations
  • a potential death trap
  • escape a death trap
  • call something a death trap
  • turn into a death trap
Synonyms
  • hazard

    broader and more formal; it does not always suggest possible death

  • killer

    more forceful and informal; often used for something extremely dangerous

  • fire trap

    more specific; usually a building that would be deadly in a fire

Antonyms
  • safe place

    a location without the deadly risk suggested by death trap

Grammar Patterns

a death trap

call [place] a death trap

turn into a death trap

Usage Note

Often used for places, vehicles, or systems that seem usable but hide a serious risk of killing people, especially because of bad design or poor safety checks.

Common Mistakes

The room is death trap.
The room is a death trap.
use the article 'a' before this singular countable noun.
The stairs are a trap of death.
The stairs are a death trap.
English uses the fixed phrase 'death trap'.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Death trap' is stronger than 'hazard'. A hazard is anything unsafe, from a wet floor to a loose wire, but a death trap suggests that the danger is so serious that people may die if nothing changes. 'Fire trap' is narrower: it usually describes a building where people could be trapped or unable to escape during a fire. 'Accident waiting to happen' is less direct and often more conversational; it says trouble is very likely, but it does not always point to death. Use 'death trap' when you want to stress that a place, vehicle, or setup is not just unsafe but potentially fatal.

death trap ↗hazard ↗fire trap ↗accident waiting to happen

Common collocations

Verbs

Phrases

  • call something a death trap
  • turn into a death trap
  • become a death trap

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

This compound joins death, from Old English, with trap, a word used in English for something that catches or holds. The modern phrase first suggests a literal trap that can kill, then extends to any building, vehicle, or system whose unsafe condition could cost lives.

First known use

1828

1828, in the meaning defined above