land mine

noun

: a mine usually placed just below the surface of the ground and designed to be exploded usually by the weight of vehicles or troops passing over it
often used figuratively
Every aspect of this scheme is a potential land mine.Henry A. Kissinger
a political land mine

Examples of land mine in a Sentence

parents of teenagers never know when they might set off an emotional land mine
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
On average, one person is killed or injured by land mines and other explosive ordnance every hour, according to UNICEF. IEEE Spectrum, 8 Jan. 2025 But this month is packed with potential land mines that can disrupt the stock market’s momentum. Fred Imbert, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2025 When Jordan sealed its border in 2016 after an ISIS attack killed six Jordanian soldiers, most of the Syrian civilians were trapped — unable to move forward or go back through roads controlled by the Syrian regime or even move through a desert laid with land mines. Jane Arraf, NPR, 24 Dec. 2024 While many countries have inked conventions banning or limiting the use of land mines and cluster weapons, there may be a moment where NATO's European states look hard at whether these unsavory weapons could be crucial for its own defense. Ellie Cook, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for land mine 

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of land mine was in 1890

Dictionary Entries Near land mine

Cite this Entry

“Land mine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/land%20mine. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

land mine

noun
: a mine placed just below the surface of the ground and designed to be exploded by the weight of the vehicles or troops passing over it
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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