minefield

IPA/ˈmaɪnfiːld/
KK[mˈaɪnfˌild]IPA/ˈmaɪnfiːld/

minefield — noun

  • minefieldsingular
  • minefieldsplural

1. a stretch of ground or sea where hidden explosive devices have been placed so th

1.nounC1
Definition

a stretch of ground or sea where hidden explosive devices have been placed so that one touch or step can set them off.

Example

Engineers marked the minefield with red flags before the troops moved forward.

mark a minefield with warning flags

A fishing boat drifted into the minefield during the night storm.

Common collocations
  • clear a minefield
  • mark a minefield
  • lay a minefield
  • enter a minefield
  • cross a minefield
Synonyms
  • danger zone

    broader; any dangerous area, not specifically one planted with explosives

  • booby-trapped area

    similar idea of hidden explosives, but not limited to land mines in a mapped zone

  • combat zone

    a wider war area where fighting happens, not necessarily one laid with mines

Antonyms
  • safe zone

    an area officially treated as safe to enter

Grammar Patterns

a minefield

clear a minefield

cross a minefield

Usage Note

Usually refers to an actual area left with buried explosives. Common verbs are 'clear', 'mark', 'lay', and 'enter'. It can be on land or in shallow water near a coast or river.

2. a subject or situation where one careless move or remark can cause serious troub

2.nounC1
Definition

a subject or situation where one careless move or remark can cause serious trouble because the dangers are not obvious at first.

Example

After the scandal, every interview question about donations felt like a minefield.

figurative: one wrong answer can trigger trouble

Discussing inheritance at dinner became a minefield for Cyrus and his sisters.

Common collocations
  • a political minefield
  • a legal minefield
  • a diplomatic minefield
  • turn into a minefield
  • a minefield of hidden risks
Synonyms
  • quagmire

    a messy, hard-to-escape situation; less focused on one wrong step setting off trouble

  • hot potato

    a sensitive issue people avoid handling; narrower than minefield

  • can of worms

    an issue that creates many new problems once opened; more informal

  • danger zone

    broader and less specific; does not suggest hidden traps in conversation or policy

Grammar Patterns

be a minefield

a minefield for + person

a minefield of + plural noun

Usage Note

Often used for politics, family money, workplace rules, and other subjects where one small mistake can cause immediate trouble. Usually appears with verbs like 'be', 'become', or 'turn into', not with physical movement verbs.

Common Mistakes

The homework is a minefield because it is long.
Tax law is a minefield because one small mistake can cause major problems.
use minefield for hidden risks or sensitive traps, not for anything that is simply difficult.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

'Minefield' is useful when a topic looks manageable on the surface but one wrong step can set off serious trouble. That makes it different from 'quagmire', which stresses getting stuck in a messy situation that is hard to escape. A 'hot potato' is a sensitive issue people do not want to handle, especially in politics, but it does not always suggest hidden traps in every sentence. A 'can of worms' is more informal and focuses on opening up many new problems at once. 'Danger zone' is the broadest and can describe any risky area or period. So inheritance talks may become a minefield, a war can turn into a quagmire, and a leaked report may open a can of worms.

minefield ↗quagmirehot potatocan of worms ↗danger zone

Common collocations

Phrases

  • navigate a minefield
  • step into a minefield

Prepositions

  • in a minefield

Etymology

FrenchOld EnglishModern English

Minefield is a modern English compound built from 'mine' and 'field'. 'Mine' came into English through French from a word for an underground military passage, and later named the buried explosive itself. 'Field' is the old English word for open land. The literal military sense came first, and the figurative sense later compared dangerous conversations or plans to ground where one wrong step can set something off.