honey trap

or hon·ey·trap

[ huhn-ee-trap ]

noun
  1. an investigative technique that tests the fidelity of a spouse or significant other by attempting to lure them into a romantic or sexual liaison: The private eye used a classic honey trap to get evidence that her husband was cheating.

  2. a scenario in espionage whereby an agent enters into a romantic or sexual relationship with a civilian and seeks to leverage that intimacy to coerce or blackmail the target or to discover secret information.

Origin of honey trap

1
First recorded in 1970–75; popularized by John le Carré in his novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974 )

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

How to use honey trap in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for honeytrap

honeytrap

/ (ˈhʌnɪˌtræp) /


noun
  1. informal a scheme in which a victim is lured into a compromising sexual situation to provide an opportunity for blackmail

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