booby-trap 1 of 2

as in to attack
to place hidden explosive devices in or under booby-trapped the field bordering the army's camp

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booby trap

2 of 2

noun

1
as in mine
a usually concealed explosive device designed to go off when disturbed luckily, the bomb squad didn't find any booby traps

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2
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

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Examples 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-trap
Noun
Wary of booby traps and with evening closing in, the troops did not enter the building until the next day. James MacKenzie, Reuters, 18 Oct. 2024 Unfortunately, though, one open window negates all the padlocks, bolts, and booby traps money can buy. Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2019 The characters must navigate different booby traps and escape from one cube into another. EW.com, 17 Oct. 2024 Get ready for a night of holiday mischief with everyone's favorite Christmas prankster — and without the booby traps. Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for booby-trap 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby-trap
Verb
  • Governments around the world have trained eagles to attack unmanned aircraft.
    Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
  • According to police reports, Sloan attacked fellow student Mara Daffron before class, puncturing Daffron's spleen.
    Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • But underneath is a story that swims in darker waters and mines deeper truths.
    Robert Lang, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2024
  • But there's so much of my relationship people don’t see, that's just mine.
    Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • From hardside carry-on suitcases to packable blankets, these essentials will make both your holiday shopping and travel plans go off without a hitch.
    Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2024
  • Ensuring these events go off without a hitch is critical.
    Marcus Fowler, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The Syrian civil war, up to last week, was the tedious winnowing process in which the Assad government bombed, killed, and terrorized Syrians into either fleeing the country or submitting to him.
    Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2024
  • During his first administration, President Donald Trump bombed Syria twice—on April 7, 2017, and April 14, 2018—in retaliation for chemical attacks.
    Paul Iddon, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The decision came after Ukraine’s first strike on Russian territory with U.S.-supplied long-range weapons and President Joe Biden authorized the provision of antipersonnel land mines to Ukraine to help fight off Moscow's forces.
    Daryna Mayer, NBC News, 20 Nov. 2024
  • Austin noted that Ukraine is currently manufacturing its own antipersonnel land mines.
    Samya Kullab and Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Colby rushes into the stall to distract the horse from Carter, who is trapped in the corner.
    Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
  • Hers, described as a rich moisture balm, is a mix between an ointment and an emollient face cream, delivering instant hydration via five molecular weights of hyaluronic acid and skin-barrier-strengthening ceramides, then trapping in said moisture with murumuru butter and polyglutamic acid.
    Kiana Murden, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The Weather Prediction Center said in its Thursday afternoon forecast that there is a moderate risk of a swath of the Upper Midwest from northern North Dakota to eastern Wisconsin seeing more than six inches of snowfall.
    James Powel, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
  • Strong, healthy immune systems reduce the risk of contracting infectious diseases and falling seriously ill from them.
    Katia Hetter, CNN, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Getting everyone into the same room at the same time can also act as a sharpening tool for decision-making, as information imbalances are smoothed out and routine snags and inefficiencies (such as delays in email response) can be neatly resolved in a two-minute conversation.
    Koray Köse, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
  • The device removal tactic would have run into another big snag when the arrests in France took place: One of the suspects had nothing on the table at all.
    Ben Dowsett, WIRED, 10 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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