Transcription
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [boo-bee trap]
- /ˈbu bi træp/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [boo-bee trap]
- /ˈbu bi træp/
Definitions of booby-trap word
- countable noun booby-trap A booby-trap is something such as a bomb which is hidden or disguised and which causes death or injury when it is touched. 3
- verb booby-trap If something is booby-trapped, a booby-trap is placed in it or on it. 3
- noun booby-trap a hidden explosive device primed in such a way as to be set off by an unsuspecting victim 3
- noun booby-trap 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 3
- verb booby-trap to set a booby trap in or on (a building or object) or for (a person) 3
- verb booby-trap to set a booby trap in or on (a building or object) 3
Information block about the term
Origin of booby-trap
First appearance:
before 1940 One of the 7% newest English words
First recorded in 1940-45
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Booby-trap
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
booby-trap popularity
A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 39% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
According to our data about 58% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.
Synonyms for booby-trap
noun booby-trap
- land mine — an explosive charge concealed just under the surface of the ground or of a roadway, designed to be detonated by pressure, proximity of a vehicle or person, etc.
- ambush — If a group of people ambush their enemies, they attack them after hiding and waiting for them.
- decoy — If you refer to something or someone as a decoy, you mean that they are intended to attract people's attention and deceive them, for example by leading them into a trap or away from a particular place.
- mine — an excavation made in the earth for the purpose of extracting ores, coal, precious stones, etc.
- pitfall — a lightly covered and unnoticeable pit prepared as a trap for people or animals.
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with b
- Words starting with bo
- Words starting with boo
- Words starting with boob
- Words starting with booby
- Words starting with boobyt
- Words starting with boobytr
- Words starting with boobytra
- Words starting with boobytrap