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

Although some states have passed more stringent regulations protecting the privacy of individuals’ biometrics, having state-by-state regulations can be a minefield for teams and athletes.

From Washington Post

Those pressures have led to a minefield of terms and conditions that vary by carrier.

From Fortune

Setting the right carbon price is a minefield of assumptions.

From Quartz

Indeed, this topic will likely become an ethical minefield in the coming years.

From Singularity Hub 

For a company like Zoom, education is a particularly tricky minefield to navigate.

From Time

Of course, the issue of authenticity in hip-hop is already a complicated minefield for up and coming artists.

From The Daily Beast

For officials like Brohi, pursuing the drug traffickers in Turbat would mean crossing a political minefield.

From The Daily Beast

I looked around and I saw everyone looking at me; I was in the minefield next to a mine.

From The Daily Beast

Swimsuit season is now as much of a nightmare minefield for men as it is for women.

From The Daily Beast

It also takes place near a minefield of rocks, is a hangout spot for sharks, and breaks on a reef.

From The Daily Beast

E 21 dived to 130 feet to pass under the minefield which guards the "narrows," and went through by compass and dead reckoning.

From Project Gutenberg

He enlarged the minefield north of Heligoland, and gathered there a large force of submarines.

From Project Gutenberg

Under such conditions the position of the minefield would be known to the enemy.

From Project Gutenberg

In the case of a convoy encountering a minefield, as in the case of a fleet, several ships may be sunk practically simultaneously.

From Project Gutenberg

If ships are sailing singly a minefield will in all probability sink only one vessel—the first ship entering it.

From Project Gutenberg