rattrap

noun

ˈra(t)-ˌtrap How to pronounce rattrap (audio)
Definition of rattrapnext
as in predicament
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape although the military invasion had been a breeze, the nation soon found itself caught in a rattrap with no clear escape route

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rattrap
  1. predicament
  2. pickle
  3. dilemma
  4. hole
  5. bind
  6. swamp
  7. corner
Noun
  • With so many clubs stuck in that vast middle, Detroit’s predicament illustrates the fluid nature of this deadline.
    — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 30 July 2026
  • Now, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert faces an awkward predicament.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026
Definition of predicament
Noun
  • The wine’s dark fruit reaches the beef, while its savory edge accommodates the turmeric pickles on the plate.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix offered downtown visitors a surprise escape from pickle overload during this year’s Picklesburgh festival, turning Market Square into a living museum of automotive history.
    — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 20 July 2026
Definition of pickle
Noun
  • In India’s tech city Bengaluru, 24-year-old graphic designer Aditi Garg faces a similar dilemma.
    — Priyanka Salve,Raksha Murali, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The backtracking illustrates how the politics of criminal justice have shifted since 2020, posing dilemmas for Democrats’ midterm strategy and their ability to enact their preferred solutions.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
Definition of dilemma
Noun
  • The Airbnb is also equipped with a hot tub, a nine-hole disc golf course, and lots of board games, so there’s always something to do.
    — Kelsey Mulvey, Vogue, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over cake, about 1-inch apart.
    — Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of hole
Noun
  • The Hightower high lord and his armies have occupied Tumbleton and have Rhaenyra in something of a bind.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
  • States cannot file for bankruptcy, leaving the Prairie State in an unusually tight bind.
    — Gregory Kearney, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
Definition of bind
Noun
  • The trail off that parking lot is wooded and crosses miles of wetlands and river swamp with multiple bridges and places where people can fish, canoe, and kayak.
    — Dateline NBC, NBC news, 30 July 2026
  • What Can't Be Copied If credentials were the old swamp and AI just drained it, the question left standing is, well, what is left to defend?
    — Alli Kushner, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of swamp
Noun
  • After returning home, Cheogyal restarted his life and education in his home county Drago (Luhuo in Chinese), located in the rolling grasslands and mountains of a Tibetan region of Sichuan, on the southeastern corner of the Tibet-Qinghai plateau.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Femi blasted Lesnar with a trio of body shots and running uppercuts in the corner.
    — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of corner
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

rattling
rattrap
rattraps
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rattrap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rattrap. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of élan

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All