booby-trap 1 of 2

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

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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

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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

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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-trap
Noun
Jun-ho’s drone picks up on a door on the ground that turns out to be a booby trap that kills one person and injures another. Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024 And that does not even consider the likelihood of a beacon which is also a booby trap. David Hambling, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024 From guns to booby traps, Dutch leads the charge to take down the gnarly, terrifying looking alien. Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 28 Nov. 2024 Wary of booby traps and with evening closing in, the troops did not enter the building until the next day. James MacKenzie, Reuters, 18 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for booby-trap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby-trap
Verb
  • The pathogen is known as Fusarium graminearum, which can attack wheat, barley, maize and rice and sicken livestock and people, the FBI said in a court filing in Detroit.
    Ed White, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025
  • After the quake evacuation, the inmates were still outside of the cells when a group suddenly attacked guards, seized their weapons, opened fire and fled, said Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan.
    Brittany Williams, Arkansas Online, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • As part of Musk’s DOGE efforts to reduce government, the mine agency rescinded job offers, froze hiring and reduced its ranks through deferred resignations.
    Bob Ortega, CNN Money, 4 June 2025
  • Your therapist guides your eyes across your visual field using a pointer or their finger; mine used a digital pointer on-screen since our sessions were virtual.
    Kathleen Ferraro, SELF, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • The flight continues without a hitch, and Fielder attempts to open the lines of communication with his copilot, Aaron, by repeatedly asking him if everything is okay.
    EW.com, EW.com, 26 May 2025
  • The Foundation series Cybertruck includes Full Self Driving (an $8,000 value) and a trailer hitch.
    Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
Verb
  • None of it happens if Torre doesn’t bomb the LSAT his senior year of college.
    Zak Keefer, New York Times, 30 May 2025
  • When the Japanese military bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Toguri was trapped with no identification to secure a passage home.
    Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025
Noun
  • Listen to this Article The Trump administration, which has been moving like a juggernaut across the political landscape, has hit a land mine.
    Niall Stanage, The Hill, 15 Feb. 2025
  • Many land mines are still visible to the naked eye, but others are more sophisticated and harder to detect.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • If trapped by moving water, seek the highest possible point and contact emergency services by calling 911.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 7 June 2025
  • On issue after issue — guns, property taxes, transgender rights — Republicans will try to trap Jolly, forcing him to play identity politics, likely a losing proposition.
    Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • This case underscores the growing risk of sophisticated scamming schemes, especially with the growing abilities of artificial intelligence.
    Jordan King Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
  • Here are suggestions for staying safe during a thunderstorm: To minimize risk of being struck by lightning, when going outside, have a plan to get to a safer place.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 30 May 2025
Noun
  • But the snag is that group is getting smaller and smaller.
    Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
  • Following the completion, an acrobatic snag near the left sideline, McCarthy raced down the field and chest-bumped the 6-foot-5, 252-pound Muse.
    Alec Lewis, New York Times, 29 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.

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