minefield

[ mahyn-feeld ]

/ ˈmaɪnˌfild /

noun Military, Naval.

an area of land or water throughout which explosive mines have been laid.

Nearby words

Origin of minefield

First recorded in 1885–90; mine² + field

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for minefield

I looked around and I saw everyone looking at me; I was in the minefield next to a mine.
My Non-First World Problems: Letters from Iraq|Andrew Slater|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It also takes place near a minefield of rocks, is a hangout spot for sharks, and breaks on a reef.
Now That Everest Is Closed, Check Out These Other Extreme Adventures|Nina Strochlic|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was warned against caricature because “in the Middle East, it is like walking into a minefield.”
Hani Abbas Extends the Vital Tradition of Political Cartooning in the Mideast|Patrick Hilsman|October 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
With that sentence, he put me right back inside the bubble, tip-toeing through the minefield of the NFL-battered psyche.
Murder Doesn’t Shake NFL’s Dream World of Consequence-Free Violence|Nate Jackson|December 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST

But having decided to walk through this minefield, Costas tiptoed by offering not his own assessment but that of someone else.
Bob Costas Steps Onto Gun-Control Minefield|Howard Kurtz|December 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In the case of a convoy encountering a minefield, as in the case of a fleet, several ships may be sunk practically simultaneously.
The Crisis of the Naval War|John Rushworth Jellicoe
Mudros is a land-locked harbour, the entrance easily controlled by a boom and a minefield.
New Zealanders at Gallipoli|Major Fred Waite
If ships are sailing singly a minefield will in all probability sink only one vessel—the first ship entering it.
The Crisis of the Naval War|John Rushworth Jellicoe
It was the business of the submarines to lay mines on the eastern part of this minefield, that is, near to the coast.
The Harwich Naval Forces|E. F. Knight
As there was no traffic of any sort in the western half of the channel we surmised—correctly—that a minefield was laid there.
Gun running for Casement in the Easter rebellion, 1916|Karl Spindler

British Dictionary definitions for minefield

minefield

/ (ˈmaɪnˌfiːld) /

noun

an area of ground or water containing explosive mines

a subject, situation, etc, beset with hidden problems

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for minefield

minefield

1877, from mine (n.2) + field (n.). Figurative use by 1947.