trip wire

noun

1
: a low-placed concealed wire used especially in warfare to trip an enemy or trespasser and usually to trigger an alarm or explosive device when moved
2
: something (such as a small military force) intended to function like a trip wire (as to set a larger military force in motion)

Examples of trip wire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Billie Joe reached around the trip wires and spoke from his heart. Eric Fuller, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024 About 20 sites on the volcano’s slopes and the two paths identified as most at risk of a lahar now feature broadband seismometers that transmit real-time data and other sensors including trip wires, infrasound sensors, web cameras and GPS receivers. Katie Hunt, CNN, 23 June 2024 Traveling backward through the battle, inverted Pattinson sees the baddies setting up a trip wire at the entrance to the tunnel leading to the Algorithm. Nate Jones, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2024 There’s not a lot of research and development models precise enough to identify these trip wires. Michael Peregrine, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for trip wire 

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of trip wire was in 1915

Dictionary Entries Near trip wire

Cite this Entry

“Trip wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trip%20wire. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on trip wire

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!