booby-trap 1 of 2

verb

Definition of booby-trapnext
as in to attack
to place hidden explosive devices in or under booby-trapped the field bordering the army's camp

Synonyms & Similar Words

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booby trap

2 of 2

noun

1
as in mine
a usually concealed explosive device designed to go off when disturbed luckily, the bomb squad didn't find any booby traps

Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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
The movie’s biggest laughs come from Kevin’s hijinks, which involve setting up complex booby traps to fend off a pair of burglars targeting his family’s home. — Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026 Their 2025-26 season has been littered with injury landmines and other booby traps hidden in the walls of Ball Arena. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 30 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for booby-trap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby-trap
  1. attack
  2. mine
  3. hitch
  4. bomb
  5. land mine
  6. trap
  7. risk
  8. snag
Verb
  • Another warehouse belonging to the Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries was also attacked to the east of Moscow, Vorobyov said, with a fire breaking out at the facility.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Crossing threat Undoubtedly, Coventry’s best attacking moments come from wide positions.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of attack
Noun
  • That the Serbs had killed many Kosovars and that many families, including mine, had fled to Albania.
    — Ledio Cakaj, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Regulation of the mines is weak, regularly leading to deadly outcomes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of mine
Noun
  • Wang hopes that SharkNinja will continue to ease American consumer friction long into the future, and that his Chinese nationality won’t be a hitch.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Marshall hitch left gains five yards Gordon dropped Texas route.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of hitch
Verb
  • The Houthi rebels announced a maritime blockade of the Yemeni government's backer Saudi Arabia -- which has led a coalition that heavily bombed Houthi areas throughout the war.
    — August 18, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The series has drawn early comparisons to True Detective and is quite a different take than the Reynolds film, which famously bombed at the box office.
    — Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of bomb
Noun
  • More than any other sports league, the WNBA is fraught with land mines that are ready to explode whenever a Black woman — like, Alyssa Thomas — commits a hard foul on, say, the league’s most visible star, Caitlin Clark.
    — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • One image showing land mines was widely republished by Thai media outlets and bolstered Thailand's claims that Cambodia had laid new mines along the border that wounded patrolling Thai soldiers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 June 2026
Definition of land mine
Verb
  • Authorities said their immediate focus was on rescuing anyone still trapped inside and investigating the cause of the fire, which was not immediately known.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Does a frontline soldier trapped with poor comms in a dugout have enough time to study the choices and lodge a vote?
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of trap
Noun
  • Nonetheless, the costs of intercepting incoming munitions could prove particularly high if targets are engaged over populated areas, with drones, defensive munitions and falling debris all posing risks to people and property on the ground.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • When used alone after surgery to reduce the risk that melanoma returns, Keytruda is given every three to six weeks for up to a year.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of risk
Noun
  • Either way, plans could hit a logistical snag, leaving you no choice but to reconsider the entire thing.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026
  • But by the summer, when the company had sought to begin producing the earbuds, supply chain and software snags led Apple to postpone the product until 2027, Bloomberg reported in mid-June.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of snag

Browse Nearby Words

booby
booby-trap
booby trap
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Cite this Entry

“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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