trip wire

noun

: a low-placed concealed wire used especially in warfare to trip an enemy or trespasser and usually to trigger an alarm or explosive device when moved

: something (such as a small military force) intended to function like a trip wire (as to set a larger military force in motion)

Examples of trip wire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web About 20 sites on the volcano’s slopes and the two paths identified as most at risk of a lahar now feature broadband seismometers that transmit real-time data and other sensors including trip wires, infrasound sensors, web cameras and GPS receivers. —

Katie Hunt, CNN, 23 June 2024 Traveling backward through the battle, inverted Pattinson sees the baddies setting up a trip wire at the entrance to the tunnel leading to the Algorithm. —

Nate Jones, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2024 There’s not a lot of research and development models precise enough to identify these trip wires. —

Michael Peregrine, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Russia’s strongholds in the east and south have been densely mined with antitank and antipersonnel mines and trip wires in areas from three to 10 miles deep. —

Isabelle Khurshudyan, Washington Post, 20 July 2023 See all Example Sentences for trip wire

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trip wire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.