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.
Now, authorities say that same spot is a minefield, and the islanders are scarred by their days living in an open-air prison.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
She was also aware that the highly competitive daytime talk show arena had been a notorious minefield for several top stars, leading to quick failure.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026
So all of this was an ideological minefield.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026
BBC chief cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew believes the pitch "nipped" but was "not a minefield".
From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025
The pumice rock minefield was dotted with stubborn weeds armed with sharp thistles, which poked up through the cheap layer of thin black plastic under the brick- colored lava bits.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
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.
