booby trap

noun

1

: a trap for the unwary or unsuspecting : pitfall

2

: a concealed explosive device contrived to go off when some harmless-looking object is touched

booby-trap

ˈbü-bē-ˌtrap 

transitive verb

Synonyms

• mine

Examples of booby trap in a Sentence

Someone had rigged a booby trap that blew up the car when the engine was started.

We set a booby trap by balancing a bucket of water on top of the door so that it would fall on him when he came in.

Recent Examples on the Web

And that does not even consider the likelihood of a beacon which is also a booby trap. Tagging and tracking, with radio beacons or other means, looks like another example of the new possibilities opened up by drone warfare. —David Hambling, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024

From guns to booby traps, Dutch leads the charge to take down the gnarly, terrifying looking alien. —Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 28 Nov. 2024

In the desert, the Stranger and Nori have become aware they’re being followed and set about constructing a booby trap and maybe killing their stalker. —Keith Phipps, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2024

The Department of Transportation tried to keep the process relatively frictionless, but the city council introduced a potential booby trap. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 21 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

booby trap

noun

: a trap for a careless or unsuspecting person

especially : a concealed explosive device set to go off when a harmless-looking object is touched

boobytrap

ˈbü-bē-ˌtrap

verb