booby trap

See synonyms for booby trap on Thesaurus.com
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.

Origin of booby trap

1
First recorded in 1840–50

Words Nearby booby trap

Other definitions for booby-trap (2 of 2)

booby-trap
[ boo-bee-trap ]

verb (used with object),boo·by-trapped, boo·by-trap·ping.
  1. to set with or as if with a booby trap; attach a booby trap to or in.

Origin of booby-trap

2
First recorded in 1940–45

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for booby trap

booby trap

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

verbbooby-trap, traps, -trapping or -trapped
  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