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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
Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025
In the original Home Alone, Kevin is forced to defend him home from two bumbling burglars by setting various booby traps around the house.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for booby-trap
Verb
So what is a modernist like Mayer, who made such cool craft of ancient stuff 20 years ago with Spring Awakening, to do with something as hokey and booby-trapped as Chess?
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Noun
While claims of booby traps and rivers of mercury would likely make anyone think twice about entering the tomb, this is not the main barrier to full excavation.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025
In the original Home Alone, Kevin is forced to defend him home from two bumbling burglars by setting various booby traps around the house.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for booby-trap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby-trap
Verb
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Mobs attacked television vans and set cars ablaze as overrun hospitals struggled to cope with scores of injured people.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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The complication is not well understood but appears to be the result of the virus prompting the immune system to attack a certain protein that some brain cells produce.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Rio Tinto lost almost 2% after the multinational mining company suspended work at its Simandou iron-ore mine in Guinea following a fatality at the SimFer project late Sunday.—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
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What was once a gravel and sand mine is being reforested and turned into a sanctuary with quiet beaches and a pristine, spring water lake.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The only hitch was that these units were equipped with residential-sized kitchens, meaning limited counter space and small refrigerators and freezers.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
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After months of premature right-wing panic about a performance full of anti-American messaging, the Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show went off without a hitch, making its critics seem desperate for a divisive news cycle that wasn’t really in the cards.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The war ended after NATO bombed Serbia for 78 days in 1999, eventually forcing it to pull out its troops from the territory.—
Zana Cimili,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
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The suspects who bombed the office of Alex Odeh have long been identified by the FBI, and while one was imprisoned for unrelated crimes, the other two have been living comfortably in Israel for many years.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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By 1999, the use, production and transport of antipersonnel land mines had been banned globally.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
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In Finland, talks with the domestic defense industry and anti-personnel land mine training for military personnel will start early this year.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Pressure has been mounting on Australia, the US, the UK and other countries to repatriate thousands of citizens, most of them women and children, who have been trapped in detention camps in Syria since the fall of the Caliphate more than five years ago.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Unlike some twill weave sheets that may trap heat, these are made with bamboo-viscose, a naturally cooling fabric.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The risk remained even after researchers accounted for how closely people followed a healthy Mediterranean-style diet.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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Of course, any intense media scrutiny risks being distracting, especially when it is not directly related to the work of the foundation.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The sheets felt slightly softer after washing and drying them, and there were no snags, tears, loose threads, or color fading.—
Brandi Fuller,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Jan. 2026
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Long delayed by weather, the flight had overcome two last-minute snags caused by seemingly minor computer and weather problems.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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