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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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At that point, Cupe allegedly became agitated and attacked the bystander with a box cutter, slashing him across the chest.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2026
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Trump has also threatened to attack Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub.—
Will Weissert,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Almonty’s tungsten mine in Sangdong, South Korea, in March 2026.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Maybe take out those fast boats or mines that are along the water.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Both ballot measures failed, but post-election analysis showed that both counties pulled off all-mail balloting without much of a hitch or any challenge to its procedures or validity.—
ORLANDO SENTINEL AND MIAMI HERALD EDITORIAL BOARDS,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
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The second test went off without a hitch in 2019.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of the sites bombed that day was an Iranian school, leading to at least 175 deaths, most of them children.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The United States bombed the Isfahan facility along with two other nuclear sites on June 22.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Areas are roped off and dotted with signs warning of land mines, a hazard Cambodians know well after decades of civil war that ended in the late 1990.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
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In applications like land mine detection, a single mistake can be fatal.—
Sagar Lekhak,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Wenrick did not answer questions about whether or not Valencia was trapped inside.—
Nicole Comstock,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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The Islamic republic has threatened to attack vessels traversing the strait throughout the conflict, which has effectively closed off the conduit, trapping hundreds of ships in the Persian Gulf and spiking oil prices globally.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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So the San Francisco Bay Area resident went back to a family recipe and decided to take a risk, with a whisk.—
Itay Hod,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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The notion of compliance as an interconnected system aligns with broader trends in risk management.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The snag for Sacramento is a lack of hotel rooms near downtown to pass that bid process.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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On Thursday, Pages had another one of his sensational snags, taking an angle that would’ve made a defensive back proud in pursuit of Geraldo Perdomo’s fly ball to start the seventh.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Booby-trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booby-trap. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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