Booby Trap Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms booby-trap 1 American [boo-bee-trap] / ˈbu biˌtræp /

verb (used with object)

booby-trapped, booby-trapping

1. to set with or as if with a booby trap; attach a booby trap to or in.

booby trap 2 American

noun

1. a hidden bomb or mine so placed that it will be set off by an unsuspecting person through such means as moving an apparently harmless object.

2. any hidden trap set for an unsuspecting person.

booby trap British

noun

1. a hidden explosive device primed in such a way as to be set off by an unsuspecting victim

2. a trap for an unsuspecting person, esp one intended as a practical joke, such as an object balanced above a door to fall on the person who opens it

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

1. (tr) to set a booby trap in or on (a building or object) or for (a person)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of booby-trap1

First recorded in 1940–45

Origin of booby trap1

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The scene from 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark shows Indiana Jones - played by Harrison Ford - outrunning a giant boulder triggered by a booby trap, before leaping to safety.

From BBC

According to police, often the sites targeted are remote, treacherous even, and reminiscent of an Indiana Jones expedition - minus the booby traps.

From BBC

According to the IDF, troops were searching buildings for Hamas using a dog - these animals are regularly used to hunt for fighters, booby traps, explosives and weapons.

From BBC

When I asked a senior White House official if they could speak to whether or not similar booby traps were contained in American communication devices I was rebuked; “I can’t speak to that.”

From Salon

Nabila says there were several dozen soldiers with a combat dog - animals used to find Hamas fighters, and check for booby traps and explosives.

From BBC

Related Words

• land mine

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.