trip wire
nounDefinition of trip wire
1
: a low-placed concealed wire used especially in warfare to trip an enemy or trespasser and usually to trigger an alarm or explosive device when moved
2
: something (such as a small military force) intended to function like a trip wire (as to set a larger military force in motion)
Examples of trip wire in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some of those who have hit the trip wire are recent college graduates, installed in jobs usually reserved for officials with decades of experience. — Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, "Trump vs. the “Deep State”," 14 May 2018 But television sports has far more trip wires than sports journalism. — David Remnick, The New Yorker, "In Praise of Doris Burke, Basketball’s Best TV Analyst," 13 June 2019 Hidden trip wires are another threat that the flames can be used to eliminate. — Allison Barrie, Fox News, "Elon Musk thrusts civilian flamethrowers into the spotlight," 23 Mar. 2018 Some neighbors reported they had been told the explosion was the result of a trip wire, but police would not confirm any details of the blast Sunday night. — Jeremy Schwartz, ajc, "Austin explosions: 2 men hurt in fourth blast this month," 19 Mar. 2018 The team charged with the peace negotiations doesn’t want to add a possible trip wire for Mr. Netanyahu into the run-up to elections and could hold off on putting the proposals forward. — Dov Lieber, WSJ, "Israeli Government Crisis Raises Fresh Doubts for U.S. Peace Plan," 19 Nov. 2018 As far back as the Book of Genesis, when Jacob’s soon-to-be father-in-law tricked him into marrying the wrong daughter, in-laws have been universally acknowledged trip wires. — Alessandra Stanley, Town & Country, "New Solutions for Managing the Most Troublesome In-Laws," 19 Oct. 2018 Since then, the bomber’s method has changed – on Sunday, two young men were injured after activating a trip wire; and another explosion occurred early Tuesday at a FedEx distribution center outside of San Antonio. — Elaine Aradillas, PEOPLE.com, "Terror in Austin: Ex-FBI Profiler Who Helped Catch Unabomber Says First Bomb 'Sent a Message'," 20 Mar. 2018 The qualitative release next week remains a potential tripping wire for large banks that are well-capitalized but have faced rebukes from regulators on other aspects of their operations, including consumer harm. — Telis Demos, WSJ, "Big Banks Clear Fed’s Stress Tests," 21 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trip wire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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