booby traps 1 of 2

noun

plural of booby trap
1
as in mines
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 risks
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

booby-traps

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of booby-trap
as in attacks
to place hidden explosive devices in or under booby-trapped the field bordering the army's camp

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 traps
Noun
While claims of booby traps and rivers of mercury would likely make anyone think twice about entering the tomb, this is not the main barrier to full excavation. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025 The gauntlet of booby traps culminating in the giant boulder that kick off Raiders is my single favorite opening sequence in a movie ever. — Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly, 13 June 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 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 In the original Home Alone, Kevin is forced to defend him home from two bumbling burglars by setting various booby traps around the house. — Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 21 Dec. 2025 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 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 Deputies said during the initial call that neighbors had reported gunshots being fired and that a second caller, who claimed to have fired the gun, had placed booby traps around a home in the Kavala Ranch development. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby traps
  1. mines
  2. risks
  3. explosives
  4. land mines
  5. hitches
  6. snags
Noun
  • Removing mines from the waterway would be done solely by Iran, Gharibabadi said at the time.
    — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
  • As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, the museum offers a patriotic lens into how the canals, highways, railroads and mines that stitched this country together were built by machines born in American factories.
    — Malika Bowling, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of mines
Noun
  • But this should be guided and individualized by the right expert in terms of counseling and determining both the risks and benefits of sports based on the cardiac diagnosis and type of sport engaged in by the athlete.
    — Nicole Williams, AJC.com, 6 July 2026
  • And the economic risks of higher inflation and lower consumption as a result of the fuel shortages could not have come at a worse time.
    — Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of risks
Noun
  • Tighter oversight of explosives The task force also called for tighter controls on the importation and regulation of fireworks and explosive materials.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Definition of explosives
Noun
  • 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
  • The younger Modrić’s childhood home in the village of Jasenice was abandoned and remains so to this day, with signs warning visitors of land mines in the area.
    — Sanat Pai Raikar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 June 2026
Definition of land mines
Noun
  • In Houston, some drivers were up to their trailer hitches in lapping waters, while photos from Waco, Texas, showed roadways washed away by the storms.
    — Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 15 June 2026
  • Legal glitches and hitches will eventually be found when AI laws are passed without suitable scrutiny and analysis.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
Definition of hitches
Noun
  • The federal government’s relationship with Anthropic, one of the major US AI companies, has hit other snags, as well.
    — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 27 June 2026
  • The material hasn’t suffered any rips or snags, and the dust and dirt it’s collected is easy to wash off.
    — Taylor Fox, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2026
Definition of snags

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Booby traps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby%20traps. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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