1
2
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of booby-trap
Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 3 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for booby-trap
Noun
Tourists and anyone else who dared come to the place would have to circumnavigate snipers perched in watchtowers, booby traps, and roaming guard dogs.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 3 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for booby-trap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby-trap
Verb
-
And if Klopp felt the benefits of turning throw-ins into choreographed events, complete with long build-ups, would be outweighed in Liverpool’s case by a loss of attacking impetus, is there not something to be said for that?—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Officers found people trying to attack police cruisers with fireworks, cones, poles and other items.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
While 2022 saw the opening or reactivation of 40 coal mines, 151 mines closed or were nonoperational that same year, an 18% decline from the year before.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
14 Oct. 2025
-
And there are two sides to every story, so if their perception of what happened is different than mine, involving them gets messy.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Season 51 of the variety series has seemed to have gone on without a hitch after several notable names left the show ahead of the new season's premiere.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Alubidy grabbed a trailer tow hitch and bludgeoned the 5-foot-tall, 130-pound victim.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Ukraine bombs Russian energy infrastructure to defend civilians and destroy the Kremlin war machine.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Earlier in the week, Afghan authorities accused Pakistan of bombing the capital, Kabul, and a market in the country's east.—
NPR,
NPR,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
The ninth inning revealed other land mines.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Brooks Sports, a sports equipment company, offers a possible reason for the squeaking, noting that the cause is often air or moisture trapped under the insoles within the shoes.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Grijalva trapped in the waiting place Press conferences are not the only recurring agenda item on Capitol Hill amid the government shutdown.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
How do soldiers assess risk or make life-or-death decisions?—
Big Think,
Big Think,
18 Oct. 2025
-
New research found missing a first mammogram was linked to a higher risk of breast cancer death.—
Julia Landwehr,
Health,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Morrell, a former BP exec who was appointed by former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, departed after a series of snags that ultimately doomed Chapek’s tenure as CEO.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
16 Oct. 2025
-
It’s also completely sold out on the Madewell website, so this is a rare snag.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share