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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of booby traps
Eliana Dockterman, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
For a novice member of the field, the coolest details of the event doubled as booby traps.
—Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Specialized teams were called to the scene to defuse booby traps in the residential building, city police said.
—CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025
Specialized teams were called to the scene to defuse booby traps in the building, police said.
—FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 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
Noun
The Duffers add that one of the key inspirations for this season is Home Alone—specifically the booby traps.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
For a novice member of the field, the coolest details of the event doubled as booby traps.
—Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Specialized teams were called to the scene to defuse booby traps in the residential building, city police said.
—CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025
Specialized teams were called to the scene to defuse booby traps in the building, police said.
—FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby traps
Noun
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That money would be better spent, as military experts have long said, on asymmetric weapons like mines given that Taiwan’s ports and air bases would be the main targets for China’s initial air and missile campaign.—
Lyle Goldstein,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Once freed from slavery, Washington toiled in coal mines, worked as a janitor in exchange for formal education and became a great American orator and leader of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.—
Jennifer Smith Richards,
ProPublica,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Twelve of the 20 indicators for the health risks and impacts of climate change in the report set concerning new records—showing that the health impacts caused by our changing climate have reached unprecedented levels that cannot be ignored.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
-
No matter what happens at their meeting, China’s ambitions will still pose the same long-term risks to American interests, American allies, and American power.—
Mira Rapp-Hooper,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
During the dictatorships after World War II, the natural barrier of the Accursed Mountains was fortified, set about with land mines, and patrolled, effectively isolating the stronghold of Albania from the rest of the world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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If Hamas fails to disarm, that will give Netanyahu an excuse to restart the war and avoid all the political land mines that the next phases present him.—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The two-door, three-person Can-Am Defender Limited and the four-door, six-person Defender Max Limited have 82-horsepower engines, power steering, tow hitches with a 2,500-pound towing capacity, winches, air conditioning and heating, a full hard roof and a three-position tilt-up glass windshield.—
Steve Waters,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
-
My connection often improved a few minutes later, but those drops could result in stuttering in games, hitches in streaming, and slow file downloads.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
3 Sep. 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
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However, there remain several potential snags.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Booby traps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby%20traps. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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