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

Relevance

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
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 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
  • That strike came after Kuwait said Iran attacked one of its water facilities.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The chain of events that led to another extermination began when Lauren Cohan’s Maggie and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan captured their season 2 nemesis, the Dama (Lisa Emery), after the big bad had her men attack them.
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of attack
Noun
  • The raw footage sat in a Kansas salt mine for decades, until it was retrieved by Lurhmann’s team.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2026
  • His daughter, Ruth Mosch, who manages operations for the mine, and led CBS Colorado through the old tunnels, sees something even older than the ore.
    — Anna Alejo, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Definition of mine
Noun
  • Harper was encouraged by the interagency work between different public partners that helped the eight matches go off without a major hitch.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Sims catches a hitch and turns up field but fumbles the ball while switching hands.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of hitch
Verb
  • Elsewhere, Israel bombed the Gaza Strip and the Syrian president met in Damascus with the Iraqi Kurdish regional leader over security concerns.
    — Elena Becatoros, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026
  • In 2003, Libya formally took responsibility for bombing Pan Am 103.
    — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 30 July 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
  • Ababu stated there could be more people trapped in the debris.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
  • During the call, Fernandez indicated that CMA CGM still has eight of its vessels still trapped in the Persian Gulf due to the concerns over safety in the strait.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of trap
Noun
  • An executive order followed in August 2025, then OCC bulletins in September telling banks to base service decisions on objective risk.
    — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Given the risk of punishment or even execution, some contributions are anonymized or voices altered.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of risk
Noun
  • So now, more than a year later, and after hitting several snags along the way, the election-date change proposal has finally landed on the ballot, labeled Miami Referendum 1.
    — Tess Riski July 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • That trend continued Friday, as Allen pulled down a one-handed snag from quarterback Patrick Mahomes during 11-on-11s that served as the day’s top highlight.
    — Jesse Newell, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of snag

Browse Nearby Words

booby
booby-trap
booby trap
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nurture

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All