as in risks
a danger or difficulty that is hidden or not easily recognized
parents of teenagers never know when they might set off an emotional land mine
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Recent Examples of land mines
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, 23 Mar. 2026
At least 57 nations have live antipersonnel land mines in their territories.
—Sagar Lekhak, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026
Every day presents new potential land mines.
—Tia Goldenberg, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
This home was not his main compound, sources said, and the area was not studded with land mines.
—Steve Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Because there are traps, and there are tricks, and there are land mines.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
In a world where Americans have an average of five credit cards each, Laplanche warned of a financial landscape full of land mines.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
By 1999, the use, production and transport of antipersonnel land mines had been banned globally.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Russia has used land mines in its invasion of Ukraine, and in July accused Ukraine of doing so too, after Ukraine announced its withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention.
—Reuters, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
At least 57 nations have live antipersonnel land mines in their territories.
—Sagar Lekhak, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026
Every day presents new potential land mines.
—Tia Goldenberg, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
This home was not his main compound, sources said, and the area was not studded with land mines.
—Steve Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Because there are traps, and there are tricks, and there are land mines.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
In a world where Americans have an average of five credit cards each, Laplanche warned of a financial landscape full of land mines.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
By 1999, the use, production and transport of antipersonnel land mines had been banned globally.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Russia has used land mines in its invasion of Ukraine, and in July accused Ukraine of doing so too, after Ukraine announced its withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention.
—Reuters, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for land mines
Noun
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The phrase was originally associated with Sutskever, who used it to caution his colleagues about the risks of artificial general intelligence—the threshold at which machines match human cognitive capacities.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Blue Lagoon Cruises said pumpable fuel as well as other oils stored onboard the ship had been removed by Monday, diminishing environmental risks.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But her journey hasn’t been without a few hitches.—
Aaron Tolentino,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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The draft horse shows this week during the stock show’s 120th anniversary will include 15 six-horse hitches, or six horses pulling a wagon.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
Noun
-
But a redevelopment plan for at least one of those schools, North Fork Elementary, could face some snags.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
-
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
“Land mines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/land%20mines. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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