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as in hitch
a danger or difficulty that is hidden or not easily recognized
he noticed the booby trap in the interviewer's question just a little too late
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of booby-trap
Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 3 Sep. 2025
These may show up in Ukraine before long, perhaps walking ahead of patrols to find booby traps and clear routes through minefields, or taking bullets to expose enemy firing position.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Colonial militias attempted periodic raids, but historical records report that they were met with rugged terrain, booby traps and counterattacks.
—Justin Dunnavant, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2025
Some enterprising Viet Cong had defused this and turned into a booby trap detonatable by wires from brush a few hundred feet away.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 27 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for booby-trap
Noun
Tourists and anyone else who dared come to the place would have to circumnavigate snipers perched in watchtowers, booby traps, and roaming guard dogs.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 3 Sep. 2025
These may show up in Ukraine before long, perhaps walking ahead of patrols to find booby traps and clear routes through minefields, or taking bullets to expose enemy firing position.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Colonial militias attempted periodic raids, but historical records report that they were met with rugged terrain, booby traps and counterattacks.
—Justin Dunnavant, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2025
Some enterprising Viet Cong had defused this and turned into a booby trap detonatable by wires from brush a few hundred feet away.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 27 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for booby-trap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby-trap
Verb
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In October alone, shoppers were attacked in a supermarket, a Spanish tourist was scratched by a cub at a heritage site, and a trail runner was forced to wrestle a bear in the woods before sprinting to safety.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles into Israel in response and attacked the Middle East's largest American military base in Qatar.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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But with new uranium mines proposed in New Mexico and transportation routes through the Navajo Nation’s region seemingly inevitable, Antonio has been closely monitoring the actions of tribal leadership, who have noticeably gone quiet on the issue — a troubling sign for critics.—
Arlyssa D. Becenti,
AZCentral.com,
11 Nov. 2025
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The Arlit mine, formerly run by a French group, was seized during Niger’s 2023 military coup, and French troops were forced to leave.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Pike subtly checked from a 10-yard hitch route to a go route for receiver Binns, who streaked down the sideline against press coverage to haul in a diving, game-winning touchdown in the back corner of the end zone.—
The Athletic College Football Staff,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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However, the primary mission of Blue Origin’s January launch — delivering a test satellite called the Blue Ring Pathfinder to orbit — went off without a hitch, prompting the company to declare the flight a success.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Neal, his co-pilot, a navigator and seven crew members headed toward Cannes, France, to bomb some roads.—
Brad Schmitt,
Nashville Tennessean,
11 Nov. 2025
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Serbia was bombed in 1999 for 78 days to force then-President Slobodan Milosevic to end his crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
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During the dictatorships after World War II, the natural barrier of the Accursed Mountains was fortified, set about with land mines, and patrolled, effectively isolating the stronghold of Albania from the rest of the world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
-
If Hamas fails to disarm, that will give Netanyahu an excuse to restart the war and avoid all the political land mines that the next phases present him.—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Whoever dispatched that ambulance might be one of many employees at the Department of Emergency Communications who have felt uncomfortable, yelled at and trapped between their calling to help people and what several current and former dispatchers have called a hostile work environment.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
6 Nov. 2025
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Most of Ukraine’s Donbas region, where the 17 were said to be trapped, is under Russian military control, and Moscow has been accused in the past by developing countries of recruiting their citizens to fight on its behalf under false pretenses.—
Reuters 16 hr ago,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Wireless systems also pose new safety risks, such as stray magnetic fields, fire hazards, and heating of metal objects, requiring further research and development (R&D) and stricter standardization.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
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Oddly empty flight = higher risk of cancellation.—
The Kim Komando Show,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Lemon had a career-high 161 yards through the air and Lane’s 74 included several diving snags and one spectacular one-hander in the end zone despite tight coverage.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
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Close all zippers and fasteners to prevent snags or tears.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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