land mine

noun

: a mine usually placed just below the surface of the ground and designed to be exploded usually by the weight of vehicles or troops passing over it
often used figuratively
Every aspect of this scheme is a potential land mine.Henry A. Kissinger
a political land mine

Examples of land mine in a Sentence

parents of teenagers never know when they might set off an emotional land mine
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 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 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 Friedman, Twin Cities, 15 Oct. 2025 There are different ways to demine territory, from using dogs to sniff out land mines to sappers—combat engineers focusing on clearing mines—manually working their way through an area, or operators remotely controlling large demining machines. Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025 The ninth inning revealed other land mines. Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for land mine

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of land mine was in 1890

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Land mine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/land%20mine. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

land mine

noun
: a mine placed just below the surface of the ground and designed to be exploded by the weight of the vehicles or troops passing over it
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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