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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Recent Examples of booby traps
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
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
Noun
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby traps
Noun
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But even if the Strait of Hormuz is reopened, will shipping companies feel safe to pass through it, given that sea mines could make their operations dangerous?—
June 16,
NPR,
16 June 2026
-
The island is filled with skull-and-crossbones signs warning of danger mines.—
Marzio G. Mian,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Noun
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As geopolitical competition intensifies, such concentrations pose risks to industries dependent on uninterrupted access to critical materials.—
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
-
The company utilizes a development approach that structures projects specifically to limit the initial capital exposure and execution risks faced by its partners.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
21 June 2026
Noun
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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
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The younger Modrić’s childhood home in the village of Jasenice was abandoned and remains so to this day, with signs warning visitors of land mines in the area.—
Sanat Pai Raikar,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 June 2026
-
The zombie commission was one of the final land mines Adams left behind for his successor.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
Noun
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In Houston, some drivers were up to their trailer hitches in lapping waters, while photos from Waco, Texas, showed roadways washed away by the storms.—
Chris Dolce,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
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Legal glitches and hitches will eventually be found when AI laws are passed without suitable scrutiny and analysis.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Noun
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Despite overall improvements across the district in both the high school EOC STAAR test and the 3-8 exams, Licata announced last week that more than a dozen schools experienced notable snags that would qualify them for the Elevate network.—
Samuel O’Neal and,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 June 2026
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As a whole, this laptop can handle everyday tasks like browsing and run a few productivity programs at once without software snags.—
Kelsey Fogarty,
PC Magazine,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Booby traps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby%20traps. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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