1
as in mines
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 risks
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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Recent Examples of booby traps
David Hambling, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
These may show up in Ukraine before long, perhaps walking ahead of patrols to find booby traps and clear routes through minefields, or taking bullets to expose enemy firing position.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby traps
Noun
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Also avoid bats, monkeys and forest antelope, and do not enter caves or mines where bats may live.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Black Himalayan salt is a coarse salt that comes from the mines of the Himalayas.—
Lindsey DeSoto,
Health,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Even with the potential risks, businesses also need to democratize access to AI tools.—
Bob Violino,
CNBC,
24 Sep. 2025
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Heavy rain advisories remain in place for much of the northern Philippines as Ragasa’s outer bands continue to lash the country, with further risks of flooding and landslides possible in Luzon.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
23 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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The ninth inning revealed other land mines.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The two-door, three-person Can-Am Defender Limited and the four-door, six-person Defender Max Limited have 82-horsepower engines, power steering, tow hitches with a 2,500-pound towing capacity, winches, air conditioning and heating, a full hard roof and a three-position tilt-up glass windshield.—
Steve Waters,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
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My connection often improved a few minutes later, but those drops could result in stuttering in games, hitches in streaming, and slow file downloads.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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That could provide a backup plan if the state charges hit snags, said Cassell, echoing another famous Utah case.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Booby traps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby%20traps. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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