booby-trap 1 of 2

verb

Definition of booby-trapnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words
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

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-trap
Verb
So what is a modernist like Mayer, who made such cool craft of ancient stuff 20 years ago with Spring Awakening, to do with something as hokey and booby-trapped as Chess? — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Noun
Picture Indiana Jones swapping his fedora for a Han dynasty helmet, dodging booby traps in dusty Chinese tombs. — Urnesha Bhattacherjee, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026 In the days leading up to the attack, Ghazali allegedly rigged his truck with booby traps, fireworks, explosives, and large amounts of gasoline. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for booby-trap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby-trap
  1. attack
  2. mine
  3. hitch
  4. bomb
  5. land mine
  6. trap
  7. risk
  8. snag
Verb
  • The recent success of a late-stage mRNA cancer vaccine, showing the drug stopped the return of melanoma, has boosted hopes that the approach can be successfully harnessed to attack other cancers.
    — Allison DeAngelis, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • In Ohio, Husted has been repeatedly attacked for his role in attracting data centers to Ohio as lieutenant governor.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of attack
Noun
  • As the chief explained it, the man was drilling a hole in the limestone mine when a rock fell in.
    — Ricky Sayer, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The tensions have been a setback for Lee, who favors engagement with North Korea and has tempered his rhetoric toward the North even as public anger grows over the mine blasts.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of mine
Noun
  • At least four vehicles struck the hitch, including the vehicle that ignited in flames.
    — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • That type of physicality can come in handy on plays like quick hitches, screens, drags run over the middle of the field.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of hitch
Verb
  • But few could have anticipated just how badly the film would bomb.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The Associated Press LONDON -- Two Iranian men conducted surveillance of a Manchester synagogue that was the site of a deadly attack a year ago as part of a plot to bomb it this year, a prosecutor said Saturday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of bomb
Noun
  • In August 2015, another spate of land mine blasts that maimed two South Korean soldiers and sharply raised tensions between the Koreas.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • His Minderoo Foundation—named for the cattle ranch of his childhood—has since given about $28 million to Ukraine’s schools and agricultural projects, and to clearing land mines.
    — Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of land mine
Verb
  • Federal government attorneys say the lawsuits are a backdoor way to regulate heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions and amount to an unconstitutional power grab.
    — LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • This is a person who’s really isolated herself, who has run from love, who has thought of love as a trap, and who has done everything in her power not to be trapped.
    — Max Gao, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of trap
Noun
  • Applicants can expect checks into their identity, source of funds, finances and assets, jurisdictional risk, as well as their criminal, reputational, and immigration history.
    — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Thirteen are rated at very high risk or in default, and 23 have no rating from the big agencies, which cuts them from international bond markets.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of risk
Noun
  • Following Merger Close The mega-deal sailed through regulatory approval before hitting a major legal snag in July.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Another potential snag centred on Fury’s enrolment with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).
    — Tom Burrows, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of snag

Browse Nearby Words

booby
booby-trap
booby trap
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Cite this Entry

“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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