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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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The American always had the engine and work rate to flit between defensive and attacking duties in a central midfield berth.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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Santos and Langdon both attack things pretty head on.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Tehran has also threatened to deploy mines to block the entire Persian Gulf if its coasts or islands are attacked.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
23 Mar. 2026
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Over the last year, organizations like mine, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), successfully organized to end Denver’s contracts with one such company, Flock.—
Jennifer Piper,
Denver Post,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Notably in 2011, the first deployment of the GCC’s Peninsula Shield Force to Bahrain, with Saudi and UAE forces entering the kingdom at the behest of the government, seemed to go off without a hitch.—
Hadley Gamble,
semafor.com,
19 Mar. 2026
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The group’s first smuggle went off without a hitch — as Pace, Keenan, and Prager ran a load of around 7,000 pounds of pot from Colombia into Maine.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Strait of Hormuz, on the other hand, is a natural waterway, and Tehran essentially wants to charge ships for the privilege of crossing it without being bombed.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
25 Mar. 2026
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In recent days, Israel has hit apartment buildings in Beirut and bombed bridges over the Litani River in Lebanon's south.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 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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The team realized that radiation kills chips by trapping electrical charges in transistors’ insulating layers.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, Licence argued, Harold also sent ships to Hastings to attempt a pincer movement to trap William from the south, but the fleet arrived too late to change the course of the devastating battle that took place on October 14.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That said, slow running aligns with the zone 2 cardio trend, which promises ample cardiovascular benefit, plus minimized injury risk.—
Jenny McCoy,
SELF,
20 Mar. 2026
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Moreover, such an action risks preventing favorable conditions for a historic dialogue between the governments of the two countries, which are both united by a desire to disarm Hezbollah and strengthen Lebanon’s state capacities.—
Asher Kaufman,
The Conversation,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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However, an endorsement touted posthumously by Stratton caused a snag as Jackson's family withdrew it Monday, saying the draft was not meant for public release.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 Mar. 2026
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The leather was supple, the finishes clean, and the zipper for the bottom compartment glided without so much as a whisper of a snag.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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