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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
David Hambling, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Colonial militias attempted periodic raids, but historical records report that they were met with rugged terrain, booby traps and counterattacks.
—Justin Dunnavant, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2025
Some enterprising Viet Cong had defused this and turned into a booby trap detonatable by wires from brush a few hundred feet away.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 27 July 2025
The trailer teases the film’s July release with action, booby traps, and terrified faces.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for booby-trap
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
Colonial militias attempted periodic raids, but historical records report that they were met with rugged terrain, booby traps and counterattacks.
—Justin Dunnavant, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2025
Some enterprising Viet Cong had defused this and turned into a booby trap detonatable by wires from brush a few hundred feet away.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 27 July 2025
The trailer teases the film’s July release with action, booby traps, and terrified faces.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for booby-trap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby-trap
Verb
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Gunmen attacked the Nova Music Festival and Kibbutz Be’eri, among other targets.—
Yamiche Alcindor,
NBC news,
10 Oct. 2025
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Chiefs edge rusher George Karlaftis is capable of lining up on both sides, and Spagnuolo should look to exploit what could be a vulnerable area to attack the Lions’ front.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Companies built railroads to connect the region to the national market, developed industrial coal mines and reshaped the central Appalachian economy.—
The Conversation,
The Conversation,
7 Oct. 2025
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The road would also cross 11 rivers and thousands of streams before reaching the site of a future mine.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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While the cinematic show in front of 70,000 fans went off without a hitch, some fans hopped online afterward to criticize La Flame’s punctuality.—
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady,
Billboard,
13 Oct. 2025
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Another demo, intended to show robots loading laundry into a washer-dryer, meets a similar hitch twice in a row, when a Figure 02 drops a piece of laundry on the floor and is unable to pick it up.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Trump has also ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza.—
SAM MEDNICK,
Arkansas Online,
5 Oct. 2025
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After being heavily bombed in WWII, Birmingham is building a better future out of concrete and steel.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Oct. 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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Today, Pérez feels trapped in a country that doesn’t want her.—
Melissa Sanchez,
ProPublica,
10 Oct. 2025
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From a high school dropout and gang member who experienced homelessness to a PhD holder and founder of the Love Beyond Walls non-profit, Lester shares his journey navigating the trauma of poverty while exposing the systemic educational injustices that trap Black communities.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Essence,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Oct. 2025
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During periods of intense rainfall, the risk of flooding increases, particularly in low-lying and flood-prone areas.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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It’s also completely sold out on the Madewell website, so this is a rare snag.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
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However, there remain several potential snags.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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