1. a trap for animals consisting of a heavy weight that falls and kills or traps the prey when triggered
2. a tangled mass of fallen trees and branches

Examples

• The hunter set up a deadfall to catch rabbits.
• The primitive deadfall trap used a heavy log as the killing weight.
• After the storm, the forest path was blocked by a massive deadfall.
• Hikers had to climb over the deadfall left by the hurricane.
• The old deadfall provided shelter for small woodland creatures.
• Rangers cleared the deadfall from the popular hiking trail.