booby trap

noun

An antipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object.

Similar
land mineground-emplaced minepitfall
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Meanings

nounbooby trap (plural booby traps)

plural booby traps

  1. governmentAn antipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object.
  2. A practical joke by which something is made to fall upon someone entering through a door, or the like.
  3. broadlyAn unforeseen source of danger; a pitfall.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounan explosive mine hidden underground; explodes when stepped on or driven over

Similar
land mineground-emplaced mine
Broader
mine

nounan unforeseen or unexpected or surprising difficulty

Similar
pitfall
Broader
difficultydifficultness
Also see
land minepitfall

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From booby (“dunce, idiot”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic شَرَك, فَخّ
  • شَرَك (šarak)antipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
  • فَخّ (faḵḵ)antipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Chinese Mandarin 餌雷 /饵雷
  • 餌雷 /饵雷 (ěrléi)antipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Dutch boobytrap
  • boobytrapantipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Finnish ansa
  • ansaantipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
French piège, objet piégé
  • piègeantipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
  • objet piégéantipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
German Sprengfalle, versteckte Sprengladung
  • Sprengfalleantipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
  • versteckte Sprengladungantipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
  • Tierfalletraditional animal trap
Hebrew מלכודת, מוקש
  • מלכודת (malkódet)antipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
  • מוקש (mokésh)antipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Hungarian rejtett/álcázott bomba/csapda/akadály
  • rejtett/álcázott bomba/csapda/akadályantipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Icelandic sprengjugildra
  • sprengjugildraantipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Italian trabocchetto
  • trabocchettoantipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Japanese ブービートラップ
  • ブービートラップ (būbī torappu)antipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Persian دام انفجاری
  • دام انفجاریantipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Polish mina pułapka
  • mina pułapkaantipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Portuguese armadilha
  • armadilhaantipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Russian ми́на-лову́шка
  • ми́на-лову́шка (mína-lovúška)antipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Swedish försåtminering
  • försåtmineringantipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Tamil சூழ்ச்சிப் பொறி
  • சூழ்ச்சிப் பொறி (cūḻccip poṟi)antipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Turkish bubi tuzağı
  • bubi tuzağıantipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Vietnamese bẫy mìn
  • bẫy mìnantipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object
Cite this entry
APA

booby trap. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/booby%20trap

MLA

“booby trap.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/booby%20trap. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “booby trap,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/booby%20trap.

Source: booby trap on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.