tripwire noun 2verb 1forms 3 noun2 •A cord or wire arranged so that when snagged or pulled by an intruder, it will trigger a detector or trap or a device, such as a land mine.Seeing the tripwire of a nearby bouncing Betty gave us cold chills, and we moved all the more slowly through the woods. •(figurative) Any means of detecting intruders or attackers.The continued presence of U.S. troops as a tripwire force in Macedonia is an increasingly risky venture. — 1994 verb1 •To set a tripwire mechanism in (a location). formstripwired · tripwiring · tripwires
