tripwire

American  

[trip-wahy^uhr] / ˈtrɪpˌwaɪər /

noun

1. 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.

2. a wire that activates a trap, camera, or other device when stepped on, tripped trip on, or otherwise disturbed.

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tripwire British  

/ ˈtrɪpˌwaɪə /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of tripwire

trip ¹ + wire

Example Sentences

The states of the upper and lower basins have stated conflicting interpretations of a certain provision of the 1922 Colorado River Compact concerning how much water the upper basin must deliver to the lower basin over a 10-year period, which Kuhn and Fleck have described as a looming “tripwire” that might trigger a legal fight.

From Los Angeles Times

The unsuspecting saints may be gone by the time they realize that the pedestal to which we annexed them was a cliff or tripwire trapping them in the theater of an idea of themselves.

From Los Angeles Times

He said they planned to add a tripwire sensor that would trigger if the lake was about to burst.

From Reuters

“The incentive it creates for educators is to err on the side of caution by avoiding anything that might be the tripwire,” Nossel says.

From Los Angeles Times

"I remember I got into a trench, and I think there was a tripwire", he says.

From BBC