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tripwire

[ trip-wahyuhr ]
/ ˈtrɪpˌwaɪər /

noun

a wire used to set off concealed explosives, as one stretched across a footpath to be struck and activated by the foot of an enemy soldier.
a wire that activates a trap, camera, or other device when stepped on, tripped on, or otherwise disturbed.

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Origin of tripwire

trip1 + wire

Words nearby tripwire

Triptolemus, triptych, triptyque, trip up, Tripura, tripwire, triquetra, triquetrous, triquetrum, triradiate, triradius
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for tripwire

British Dictionary definitions for tripwire

tripwire
/ (ˈtrɪpˌwaɪə) /

noun

a wire that activates a trap, mine, etc, when tripped over
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