booby traps 1 of 2

plural of booby trap
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

Relevance
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

booby-traps

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of booby-trap
as in attacks
to place hidden explosive devices in or under booby-trapped the field bordering the army's camp

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 traps
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
  • 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
  • The cars — which will sit in 20 feet of water in a line to represent traffic jams that are all too routine in South Florida — allude to both our car-centric culture and the risks of climate change, said Ximena Caminos, founder and artistic director of REEFLINE.
    Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
  • While some people fear the potential dangers of real-life flying cars, others like Neil are eager to try out a new ride, despite the risks.
    Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 21 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • However, there remain several potential snags.
    Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Booby traps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby%20traps. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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!