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
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 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 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
  • Another warehouse belonging to the Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries was also attacked to the east of Moscow, Vorobyov said, with a fire breaking out at the facility.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Crossing threat Undoubtedly, Coventry’s best attacking moments come from wide positions.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of attack
Noun
  • Children were fitted with multifocal contacts (much like mine) and trained in eye-muscle exercises meant to slow down the progression of nearsightedness.
    — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Those roads and trails are often where vehicles become vulnerable to artillery, drones, mines, and small arms fire.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of mine
Noun
  • Sale appeared to have a slight hitch in his leg before starting his motion when he was called for his third career balk.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Rookie cornerback Chris Johnson had a line-of-scrimmage tackle on a quick hitch to Malik Washington.
    — Omar Kelly August 6, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of hitch
Verb
  • The Houthi rebels announced a maritime blockade of the Yemeni government's backer Saudi Arabia -- which has led a coalition that heavily bombed Houthi areas throughout the war.
    — August 18, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The series has drawn early comparisons to True Detective and is quite a different take than the Reynolds film, which famously bombed at the box office.
    — Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of bomb
Noun
  • More than any other sports league, the WNBA is fraught with land mines that are ready to explode whenever a Black woman — like, Alyssa Thomas — commits a hard foul on, say, the league’s most visible star, Caitlin Clark.
    — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • One image showing land mines was widely republished by Thai media outlets and bolstered Thailand's claims that Cambodia had laid new mines along the border that wounded patrolling Thai soldiers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 June 2026
Definition of land mine
Verb
  • Authorities said their immediate focus was on rescuing anyone still trapped inside and investigating the cause of the fire, which was not immediately known.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Does a frontline soldier trapped with poor comms in a dugout have enough time to study the choices and lodge a vote?
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of trap
Noun
  • The high risk of – and challenges of addressing – oil spills and other safety incidents in the hostile Arctic climate are another dissuading factor, as are environmental costs of operating there.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Overnight a shift in wind direction raised the risk that the flames could reach Gey by morning, prompting officials to order the initial evacuation.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of risk
Noun
  • Why Chess Can’t Do What This Hobby Does Cognitive training research keeps running into a snag psychologists call the far transfer problem.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Back up in his own end zone, Robinson blew past outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari, made the snag from Tagovailoa and jogged the rest of the way to the goal line.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 7 Aug. 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 20 Aug. 2026.

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