land mine

noun

: a mine usually placed just below the surface of the ground and designed to be exploded usually by the weight of vehicles or troops passing over it
often used figuratively
Every aspect of this scheme is a potential land mine.Henry A. Kissinger
a political land mine

Examples of land mine in a Sentence

parents of teenagers never know when they might set off an emotional land mine
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Finland’s parliament voted overwhelmingly to pull out of a major international treaty on antipersonnel land mines Thursday as the Nordic country seeks to boost its defenses against an increasingly assertive Russia next door. Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025 Artem lost his leg when a land mine exploded on the front lines in Kharkiv. ABC News, 8 June 2025 Here’s a villain getting blown up by a land mine and their body being fed to pigs. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2025 The United States never signed the treaty, but in 2022 the Biden administration prohibited the use of antipersonnel land mines outside the Korean Peninsula. Sarah Yager, Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for land mine

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of land mine was in 1890

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Cite this Entry

“Land mine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/land%20mine. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

land mine

noun
: a mine placed just below the surface of the ground and designed to be exploded by the weight of the vehicles or troops passing over it
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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