honey trap

Meanings

nounhoney trap (plural honey traps)

plural honey traps · alternative honeytrap · alternative honey-trap

idiomaticThe use of a romantic or a sexual relationship to entice a person into revealing secret information.
“Some girl had made a fool of him,” said Connie with great contempt. “The Dutch set him a honey trap, my dear, and he barged in with his eyes wide shut.”
1974, John le Carré, chapter 12, in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, →ISBN

verbhoney trap (third-person singular simple present honey traps, present participle honey trapping, simple past and past participle honey trapped)

present singular third person honey traps · participle present honey trapping · participle past honey trapped · past honey trapped · alternative honeytrap · alternative honey-trap

transitiveTo entice a person into a compromising situation (such as revealing secret information) by means of a romantic or sexual relationship.

Popularized by John le Carré in the novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974).

Arabic فَخّ الْعَسَل

Chinese Mandarin 美人計 /美人计

French piège de miel

German Honigfalle

Japanese ハニートラップ

Korean 미인계

Polish przynęta, wabik

Russian медо́вая лову́шка

Swedish honungsfälla

Cite this entry

APA

honey trap. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/honey%20trap

MLA

“honey trap.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/honey%20trap. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “honey trap,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/honey%20trap.