trapdoor function

noun

A function that is easy to compute in one direction but difficult to compute in the opposite direction (finding its inverse) without special information.

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Meanings

nountrapdoor function (plural trapdoor functions)

plural trapdoor functions

  1. computingA function that is easy to compute in one direction but difficult to compute in the opposite direction (finding its inverse) without special information.

Origin

From the idea that it is easy to fall through a trapdoor but difficult to climb back out.

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Cite this entry
APA

trapdoor function. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trapdoor%20function

MLA

“trapdoor function.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trapdoor%20function. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “trapdoor function,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trapdoor%20function.

Source: trapdoor function on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.