as in risks
a danger or difficulty that is hidden or not easily recognized
parents of teenagers never know when they might set off an emotional land mine
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Recent Examples of land mines
By 1999, the use, production and transport of antipersonnel land mines had been banned globally.
—
Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Russia has used land mines in its invasion of Ukraine, and in July accused Ukraine of doing so too, after Ukraine announced its withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention.
—Reuters, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
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
Byrne’s brows immediately furrow, her face a map of emotional land mines.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
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, 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
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 Friedman, Twin Cities, 15 Oct. 2025
There are different ways to demine territory, from using dogs to sniff out land mines to sappers—combat engineers focusing on clearing mines—manually working their way through an area, or operators remotely controlling large demining machines.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Russia has used land mines in its invasion of Ukraine, and in July accused Ukraine of doing so too, after Ukraine announced its withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention.
—Reuters, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
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
Byrne’s brows immediately furrow, her face a map of emotional land mines.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
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, 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
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 Friedman, Twin Cities, 15 Oct. 2025
There are different ways to demine territory, from using dogs to sniff out land mines to sappers—combat engineers focusing on clearing mines—manually working their way through an area, or operators remotely controlling large demining machines.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for land mines
Noun
-
Onana has spent time in the gym and with doctors to understand his injury problems and how best to manage the risks.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Volunteers spoke of the risks of verbal and physical confrontations with ICE agents, including the use of pepper spray and other irritants against observers and even arrests.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The draft horse shows this week during the stock show’s 120th anniversary will include 15 six-horse hitches, or six horses pulling a wagon.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
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But producers, presenters and winners soldiered on with few hitches.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
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
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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
Noun
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The sheets felt slightly softer after washing and drying them, and there were no snags, tears, loose threads, or color fading.—
Brandi Fuller,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Jan. 2026
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Long delayed by weather, the flight had overcome two last-minute snags caused by seemingly minor computer and weather problems.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Land mines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/land%20mines. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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