minefield

[mahyn-feeld]

noun

1. Military, Naval.,  an area of land or water throughout which explosive mines have been laid.

2. a situation fraught with potential problems or dangers.

   Businesses face an ethical minefield when they operate internationally.

minefield

/ ˈmaɪnˌfiːld /

noun

1. an area of ground or water containing explosive mines

2. a subject, situation, etc, beset with hidden problems

Word History and Origins

Origin of minefield¹

First recorded in 1885–90; mine ² + field

Example Sentences

Macron entered a political minefield, strewn with tension between anti- and pro-independence groups on the archipelago.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And the 1970s saw her publish a flurry of books aimed at helping readers navigate the minefields of romance, including Men and Super Men, Woman and Superwomen, and Work & Wedlock.

Read more on BBC

So, how would Reform UK navigate this political minefield?

Read more on BBC

Reports from the region speak of trenches, bunkers, minefields, anti-tank obstacles and barbed wire.

Read more on BBC

The path, however, is a thin ribbon of forest hiding Russians in trenches, fortified on each side by open minefields.

Read more on Los Angeles Times