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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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Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Iranian drones attacked its exclave of Nakhchivan and damaged an airport building.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
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But threats from Iran to attack any ships in the region outweigh the promises of support.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Asbille's character reportedly died of cancer, which is believed to be connected to a toxic waste dump located near a mine on the Broken Rock Reservation.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Mar. 2026
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The development of the vehicles is part of a larger trend in which robotic vehicles are being used to tackle tasks that endanger humans, such as the autonomous electric coal-mining trucks released last year in Mongolia, and the mine-clearing robots made by Croatian firm, DOK-ING.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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An underslung spare wheel holder and Cruisemaster DO35 articulating hitch are standard, and optional upgrades include an airbag suspension and rear recovery points.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Mar. 2026
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The hitch is that there is a very small window in which to complete the check — just three days.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In Lebanon and parts of Syria, Israel detonated thousands of pagers of Hezbollah officials and bombed the group’s headquarters in southern Beirut, killing its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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The United States went on high alert last June over concerns of retaliation from Tehran, after the United States and Israel bombed three Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day war.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In applications like land mine detection, a single mistake can be fatal.—
Sagar Lekhak,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 2026
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Every day presents new potential land mines.—
Tia Goldenberg,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In plays that feature women protagonists, the experience of feeling trapped is a recurring theme, whether characters are hemmed in by marriage, motherhood, gender roles, race, economic status or any number of societal norms.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
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Vlad returns to find the protagonist and John trapped in the burning cabin and pulls them out.—
Meg Walters,
Glamour,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The risk when one person holds the top job for decades is that talented executives who aspire to be CEO get frustrated and leave.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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Attorneys for Meta say the company discloses risks and makes efforts to weed out harmful content and experiences -- acknowledging that some bad material still gets through its safety net.—
MORGAN LEE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Resolving the union issue has been a snag in every previous discussion to combine CBS News and CNN over the years, according to several former executives at both outlets.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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The Mercedes driver endured a bit of a rollercoaster debut season, hitting a performance snag during the European stretch of the 2025 calendar and struggling with confidence.—
The Athletic,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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