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minefield

American

[mahyn-feeld] / ˈmaɪnˌfild /

noun

Military, Naval. an area of land or water throughout which explosive mines have been laid.
a situation fraught with potential problems or dangers.

Businesses face an ethical minefield when they operate internationally.

minefield British

/ 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

Etymology

Origin of minefield

First recorded in 1885–90; mine ² + field

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.

See Examples For:

minefield

The case for boring men: Dating in the modern era is a minefield, requiring you to deftly navigate the apps, tune out bad TikTok advice, and contend with the threat of ghosting.

From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026

Asked about a possible tie-up on a call with analysts, Musk said he felt he was "tap dancing through a minefield," but that a combination would be "a good idea."

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

My medicine cabinet became a minefield of animal-derived byproducts, including gelatin capsules and pain meds with lactose.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

Sleep scores, magnesium, white noise machines - what was once the simple act of sleeping has become a minefield.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Life, I now realize, is just one big trek across a minefield and you never know which step is going to blow you up.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023