1. concealed traps designed to catch or injure people, especially trespassers
Usage: historical; often illegal in modern contexts
2. dangerous situations or places that can trap or harm people
Usage: figurative use

Examples

• The old estate was rumored to have mantraps hidden throughout the grounds.
• Landowners once used mantraps to deter poachers from their property.
• The abandoned building was full of mantraps like rotting floors and exposed wires.
• Modern security systems have replaced the crude mantraps of earlier centuries.
• The hiking trail had several mantraps where unwary walkers could fall.
• Legal restrictions now prohibit the use of mantraps on private property.