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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
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Recent Examples of booby-trap
Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
See All Example Sentences for 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
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
See All Example Sentences for booby-trap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby-trap
Verb
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Kyiv — Russia attacked Ukraine with a hypersonic Oreshnik missile overnight Thursday, a rare use of one of its most advanced weapons during the latest onslaught targeting the country amid freezing temperatures.—
Kosta Gak,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
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Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with 242 drones and 36 missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force said Friday morning.—
Morgan Winsor,
ABC News,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Buchloh’s best essays romp through the history of genres—the female nude, the family portrait, the history painting, the Romantic landscape—to show how Richter’s work mines the past for the future.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
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The plan, recently approved by the PUC, includes phasing out all the company’s coal plants and providing compensation for communities that have been home to coal plants and mines for decades.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Also mentioned is an auto-hitch system to simplify hooking it up to the tow vehicle.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Graduation goes off without a hitch.—
Yohana Desta,
Rolling Stone,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Fighter jets bombed strategic targets in Panama City and Colón, while ground forces dismantled the Panamanian Defense Forces.—
Cristina Guevara,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
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If Venezuela and its region instead spiral into chaos and suffering, Trump will merely look like a bully, a president who cowers when facing the mighty — in Moscow or Beijing, say — but bombs those who can’t return fire, whether in Nigeria, Yemen or Venezuela.—
Andreas Kluth,
Boston Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Or how a British charity cleared 300,000 land mines left over from a civil war in Sri Lanka, foot by foot.—
David Pogue,
CBS News,
28 Dec. 2025
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Byrne’s brows immediately furrow, her face a map of emotional land mines.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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At the landfill site dozens of rescuers scrambled overnight in search of people trapped.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
-
How much is a trapping license in Kentucky?—
Hannah Pinski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Most of the world's volcanoes that pose a risk to humans already have detailed maps of their interiors, but not Popocatépetl, despite the fact that some 25 million people live within a 62-mile radius and houses, schools, hospitals and five airports could be affected by an eruption.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Jan. 2026
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These popular items are at risk of selling out, so be sure to shop our 10 picks today while prices start at just $16.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The snag, these analysts said, is that institutional investors do not hold a big slice of the market.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
9 Jan. 2026
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Negotiations have hit snags at several points in the weeks since.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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