booby-trap 1 of 2

as in to attack
to place hidden explosive devices in or under booby-trapped the field bordering the army's camp

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booby trap

2 of 2

noun

1
as in mine
a usually concealed explosive device designed to go off when disturbed luckily, the bomb squad didn't find any booby traps

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2
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

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of booby-trap
Noun
Last month gangs burned or confiscated at least a half-dozen armored carriers belonging to the police and the mission after setting booby traps and catching cops off guard. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025 Officers then evacuated the home and called the Los Angeles County bomb squad to clear the home of additional booby traps, according to police. Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025 Trail cams may be easily spotted and removed – though the risk of booby traps can make this challenging – but they can quickly be replaced. David Hambling, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025 Jun-ho’s drone picks up on a door on the ground that turns out to be a booby trap that kills one person and injures another. Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for booby-trap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby-trap
Verb
  • Mastantuono, 18, has the characteristics to contribute from a deeper position, but his signing was intended for more attacking areas, as is being seen.
    Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
  • An elderly Arkansas man is in the hospital after a black bear attacked him in Franklin County on Wednesday.
    Kris Millgate, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The courts likely hold the fates of Oak Flat and the huge mine Resolution Copper wants to build on the site, and Indigenous activists wonder what that will mean for the fragile landscape and for Native religious rights cases.
    Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Exploiting mines needed for rare earth minerals could also be complicated.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Lamb’s first drop of the night came on a first-quarter hitch route that looked more like a miscommunication on the route between him and quarterback Dak Prescott.
    Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
  • But organizers of the reunion maintain their event went on without a hitch and that what happened afterwards was an unrelated outlier.
    Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Tidy, good on the ball, defensively tight and can bomb up the left flank, just don’t expect many assists (three in 137 appearances for Lille).
    Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
  • No one has bombed North Korea, after all.
    Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • In the rather chaotic encounter with journalists in the Oval Office, both Trump and Zelensky avoided stepping on any rhetorical land mines.
    Ben Wedeman, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • If you are trapped by moving water, move to the highest possible point and call 911 if possible.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Emergency crews—including police, firefighters, and paramedics—rushed to the scene, deploying 62 rescuers and 22 vehicles to assist survivors trapped in the wreckage, local media reports.
    Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet.
    STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2025
  • During periods of intense rainfall, the risk of flooding increases, particularly in low-lying and flood-prone areas.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • For the evening, the top priority remains the east flank of the fire, reinforcing fire lines made during previous shifts and preparing for potential strategic firing operations by removing snags.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense took full advantage on their opening drive, using the run game to open up the play-action game, which culminated in star receiver CeeDee Lamb’s first catch, a 32-yard snag.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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