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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
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Recent Examples of booby-trap
Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for 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
When two bumbling thieves (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) attempt to rob his home, Kevin begins an elaborately violent, slapstick battle of wits via booby traps involving a tarantula, paint buckets, and flamethrowers.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for booby-trap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booby-trap
Verb
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Democrats have attacked these anti-fraud policies as an effort to undermine safety net programs for the impoverished.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
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The latest war erupted on March 2, when, after holding its fire since a 2024 truce, Hezbollah launched a surprise barrage of missiles into northern Israel in retaliation for the United States and Israel attacking Iran.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Democratic Republic of Congo will create a paramilitary unit to police its mines with funding from the US and United Arab Emirates, the country’s General Inspectorate of Mines said.—
Michael J Kavanagh,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
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Iranian forces have laid mines and threatened commercial traffic in the narrow waterway.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Production on Michael wraps without a hitch…or so everyone thinks.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
25 Apr. 2026
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We’re trained, maybe, to think that this is just one hitch in Sasha’s journey, but these dead ends keep popping up.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Much earlier, in 1983, a plot by the IRA to bomb a Duran Duran concert at the Dominion Theatre was discovered.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
29 Apr. 2026
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Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli military personnel that the terms of the ceasefire with Lebanon allow Israel to continue bombing throughout the country.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Apopo says more than six million land mines may still be buried in the soil of Cambodia.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
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OpenAI’s paper conspicuously avoids specifying a corporate tax rate, a diplomatic omission that suggests the company knows where the political land mines are buried.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The victim, who has not been identified, suffered severe crushing injuries to his lower limbs after becoming trapped in a lifting system, local fire authorities told Reuters, citing eyewitness accounts.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
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Use a damp microfiber cloth to trap particles instead of just pushing them to the next surface.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Police had been contacted by Thiamphanit's friends twice the day before her body was found, but the case was allegedly considered medium-risk, per The Times.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
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And as climate change is likely to cause more storms in the future, more people will be put at risk.—
Devika Rao,
TheWeek,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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More than two years after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Maryland — resulting in the deaths of six construction workers and upending a key route that thousands relied on daily — reconstruction has hit a snag.—
Mike Stunson,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Students in Pennsylvania experienced similar snags last week as more state education departments are moving to computerized assessments.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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