minefield

[ mahyn-feeld ]

/ ˈmaɪnˌfild /

noun Military, Naval.

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

Nearby words

mine dump, mine examiner, mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord, mineable, minecraft, minefield, minehunter, minelayer, mineola, miner, miner's anemia

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