booby traps 1 of 2

plural of booby trap
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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booby-traps

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of booby-trap
as in attacks
to place hidden explosive devices in or under booby-trapped the field bordering the army's camp

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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 traps
Noun
But first, Roy has to undo all the booby traps in there placed to mess with visiting teams’ heads. — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 The gauntlet of booby traps culminating in the giant boulder that kick off Raiders is my single favorite opening sequence in a movie ever. — Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly, 13 June 2026 Picture Indiana Jones swapping his fedora for a Han dynasty helmet, dodging booby traps in dusty Chinese tombs. — Urnesha Bhattacherjee, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026 In the days leading up to the attack, Ghazali allegedly rigged his truck with booby traps, fireworks, explosives, and large amounts of gasoline. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026 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 Deputies said during the initial call that neighbors had reported gunshots being fired and that a second caller, who claimed to have fired the gun, had placed booby traps around a home in the Kavala Ranch development. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 27 Jan. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby traps
Noun
  • Meanwhile, at least two diamond mines have announced permanent shutdowns in 2026.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Rosatom believes island nations, isolated ports, and coastal mines will need small reactors to escape energy shortages.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The pope, who has made sounding the alarm about the risks of AI a central part of his 16-month papacy, put the issue at the heart of his visit to France.
    — Joshua McElwee, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
  • What didn’t happen were promises of purchases or agreement on addressing artificial intelligence risks, the war in Iran or taking steps toward resolving other vexing world challenges.
    — Kevin Breuninger,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Tighter oversight of explosives The task force also called for tighter controls on the importation and regulation of fireworks and explosive materials.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • His Minderoo Foundation—named for the cattle ranch of his childhood—has since given about $28 million to Ukraine’s schools and agricultural projects, and to clearing land mines.
    — Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Since the wars ended, land mines and unexploded ordnance have killed approximately 90,000 people and wounded almost twice as many across the three countries.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • That type of physicality can come in handy on plays like quick hitches, screens, drags run over the middle of the field.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The process had a few hitches in it caused by the divorce, but the Swopes showed up regularly at their immigration meetings as scheduled, working through the long process.
    — Ben Fenwick, Oklahoma Watch, 12 July 2026
Noun
  • Gurman claims the foldable is still on track for this fall, despite chatter about manufacturing snags.
    — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2026
  • It was once destined for 2028 but has run into snags related to pricing, manufacturing and practicality.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Booby traps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby%20traps. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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