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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
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
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
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Her ex and his friends attacked him with a baseball bat and tried to shove him in a washing machine at one of his dad’s laundromats.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
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As the first crews began attacking the fire from inside the building, other crews were called in to make sure no one was inside.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Africans were now being brought in to replace disappearing Taino, to pan rivers, dig mines, herd cows, and cut cane.—
Greg Grandin
September 23,
Literary Hub,
23 Sep. 2025
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This discovery was made by studying tiny inclusions inside diamonds from the Voorspoed mine in South Africa.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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At the campaign rally, everything appears to be going off without a hitch.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
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My first story time went off without a hitch.—
Nina West
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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If left unchallenged, the drones could be used to bomb high-value targets or even strike them at supersonic speed in suicide attacks.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Sep. 2025
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There was a time not long ago when boats coming out of Venezuela were beloved, not bombed.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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To keep bedding clean, invest in pet hair-resistant bedding or cover the bed with a thin sheet to trap dirt from a dog’s paws.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
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The cuffed hem also traps in heat and gives the pants a jogger appearance that looks good with sandals, sneakers, and boots.—
Nicol Natale,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The fire risk is related to a problem with the engine starter, which can affect cars that are both parked and in motion, according to a notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
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They are designed to protect homes and businesses against the type of winter storms that have severely flooded the low-lying community of Alviso multiple times with water up to 6 feet deep and which are posing more risk as sea level rises due to climate change.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This isn't the first time the snag of a home run ball has topped headlines this season.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
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Developers have yet to break ground, while people familiar with the matter in the UAE, Nairobi, and Washington catalog problems with the project, extending from grand geopolitics to quotidian financial snags.—
Alexis Akwagyiram,
semafor.com,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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