noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
General-American:/ˈmaɪnˌfild/
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:M AY1 N F IY2 L D
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An area in which land mines or naval mines have been laid.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A matter or situation presenting multiple risks, dangers, complications or difficulties.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, figuratively
Examples
Be careful. Foreign property investments are a minefield, and some people have lost a lot of money.
Russian grammar can be a minefield.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A pitch that has dried out and crumbled and on which the ball is bouncing and spinning unpredictably.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A quiz that terminates when the test-taker answers a question incorrectly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: minefield quiz
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
a region in which explosives mines have been placed
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: tract, piece of land, piece of ground, parcel of land, parcel
History
Etymology
From mine + field. Compare Saterland Frisian Mienenfäield (“minefield”), West Frisian mynfjild (“minefield”), Dutch mijnenveld (“minefield”), German Low German Minenfeld (“minefield”), German Minenfeld (“minefield”), Danish minefelt (“minefield”), Swedish minfält (“minefield”).
Across languages
Translations
53 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
حَقْلُ أَلْغَام
(ḥaqlu ʔalḡām)
— area in which mines have been hidden
Armenian:
ականապատ դաշտ
(akanapat dašt)
— area in which mines have been hidden
Azerbaijani:
mina sahəsi
— area in which mines have been hidden
Belarusian:
мі́ннае по́ле
(mínnaje pólje)
— area in which mines have been hidden
Bulgarian:
ми́нно поле́
(mínno polé)
— area in which mines have been hidden
Chinese Mandarin:
雷區 /雷区
(léiqū)
— area in which mines have been hidden
Czech:
minové pole
— area in which mines have been hidden
Danish:
minefelt
— area in which mines have been hidden
Dutch:
mijnenveld
— area in which mines have been hidden
Estonian:
miiniväli
— area in which mines have been hidden
Finnish:
miinakenttä
— area in which mines have been hidden
Finnish:
miinoite
— area in which mines have been hidden
French:
champ de mines
— area in which mines have been hidden
German:
Minenfeld
— area in which mines have been hidden
Greek:
ναρκοπέδιο
(narkopédio)
— area in which mines have been hidden
Hungarian:
aknamező
— area in which mines have been hidden
Italian:
campo minato
— area in which mines have been hidden
Japanese:
地雷原
— area in which mines have been hidden
Khmer:
តំបន់បង្កប់មីន
(tɑmbɑn bɑɑbɑngkɑp miin)
— area in which mines have been hidden
Korean:
지뢰밭
(jiroebat)
— area in which mines have been hidden
Korean:
지뢰원
(jiroewon)
— area in which mines have been hidden
Macedonian:
минско поле
— area in which mines have been hidden
Mongolian:
минажуулсан газар
(minažuulsan gazar)
— area in which mines have been hidden
Norwegian Bokmål:
minefelt
— area in which mines have been hidden
Norwegian Nynorsk:
minefelt
— area in which mines have been hidden
Polish:
pole minowe
— area in which mines have been hidden
Portuguese:
campo minado
— area in which mines have been hidden
Romanian:
câmp minat
— area in which mines have been hidden
Russian:
ми́нное по́ле
(mínnoje póle)
— area in which mines have been hidden
Slovak:
mínové pole
— area in which mines have been hidden
Spanish:
campo de minas
— area in which mines have been hidden
Spanish:
campo minado
— area in which mines have been hidden
Swedish:
minfält
— area in which mines have been hidden
Swedish:
minerad mark
— area in which mines have been hidden
Turkish:
mayın tarlası
— area in which mines have been hidden
Ukrainian:
мі́нне по́ле
(mínne póle)
— area in which mines have been hidden
Vietnamese:
bãi mìn
— area in which mines have been hidden
Chinese Mandarin:
險境 /险境
(xiǎnjìng)
— dangerous situation