Meaning & use
honey trapping
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
The practice of using a romantic or sexual relationship to trick someone into giving away secrets or information.
Grammar: Used as a singular noun, often in the phrase 'honey trapping'. It can be modified by 'a case of'.
Patterns
- honey trapping operation
- engage in honey trapping
- a case of honey trapping
The spy was accused of honey trapping a government official to obtain classified documents.
Honey trapping is a technique often used in espionage to blackmail targets.
The investigation revealed a sophisticated honey trapping scheme involving several diplomats.
Common combinations
- honey trapping operation
- The intelligence agency ran a honey trapping operation to gather information.
- engage in honey trapping
- He was suspected of engaging in honey trapping to extract secrets.
- a case of honey trapping
- The newspaper reported a case of honey trapping involving a senior politician.
- honey trapping scheme
- Police uncovered a honey trapping scheme targeting wealthy businessmen.
Synonyms and how they differ
- seduction
- Seduction is the act of persuading someone to have sex, often without the deceptive or espionage purpose; honey trapping always involves a hidden agenda.
- entrapment
- Entrapment is a legal term for tricking someone into committing a crime; honey trapping is a specific form using romantic or sexual allure.
Word family
- honey trap noun
- A situation in which someone is tricked into a relationship to obtain secrets.
- honey trapper noun
- A person who carries out honey trapping.
Commonly confused: honey trapping or honeytrap?
honey trapping vs honeytrap
Sometimes written as one word, but the meaning is the same. 'Honey trapping' is the activity; 'honeytrap' can also refer to the operation itself.
Practice
What is honey trapping?
Choose one answer.
Honey trapping is specifically about espionage or deception using romance or sex. The other options are literal interpretations of 'honey' and 'trapping' but do not match the actual meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “honey trapping”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.