minefield
Americannoun
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Military, Naval. an area of land or water throughout which explosive mines have been laid.
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a situation fraught with potential problems or dangers.
Businesses face an ethical minefield when they operate internationally.
noun
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an area of ground or water containing explosive mines
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a subject, situation, etc, beset with hidden problems
Etymology
Origin of minefield
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I get a little misty remembering my own clumsy progress through that flower-filled minefield.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Call me a broken record, but I have cautioned before that the movement to “bring your whole self to work” is a minefield.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
The fact is, life is a minefield of potential hurt feelings, and it’s hard for people to navigate it without upsetting some.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Instead of a foundation trench, the machine had opened up not only a scramble for stolen treasure, but a legal minefield and forgotten moment of desperate rebellion from England's history.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026
It stands in ominous desertion, as though there’s a minefield around it.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
