trip wire

A form of tripwire — A cord or wire arranged so that when snagged or pulled by an intruder, it will trigger a detector or trap or a device, such as a land mine.

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Meanings

nountrip wire (plural trip wires)

plural trip wires

  1. alternativeAlternative form of tripwire.

    Here the protection consists of a 50lb per mile cadmium copper trip-wire mounted on short telegraph posts on both sides of the line, 4ft above rail level. Current through both trip wires energises a relay in the signalbox.

    1961 November, “Talking of Trains: Aircraft on rail tracks”, in Trains Illustrated, page 650
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: trip wire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.