ensnare

verb

en·​snare in-ˈsner 

en-

ensnared; ensnaring; ensnares

transitive verb

: to take in or as if in a snare

Synonyms of ensnare

• trap
• tangle
• entrap

Choose the Right Synonym for ensnare

catch, capture, trap, snare, entrap, ensnare, bag mean to come to possess or control by or as if by seizing.

catch implies the seizing of something in motion or in flight or in hiding.

caught the dog as it ran by

capture suggests taking by overcoming resistance or difficulty.

capture an enemy stronghold

trap, snare, entrap, ensnare imply seizing by some device that holds the one caught at the mercy of the captor.

trap and snare apply more commonly to physical seizing.

trap animals

snared butterflies with a net

entrap and ensnare more often are figurative.

entrapped the witness with a trick question

a sting operation that ensnared burglars

bag implies shooting down a fleeing or distant prey.

bagged a brace of pheasants

Examples of ensnare in a Sentence

The animals got ensnared in the net.

The police successfully ensnared the burglar.

Recent Examples on the Web

Soon Collie is ensnared in a plot to kidnap a sickly rich boy that immediately goes off the rails. —Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026

Access to Canvas has been restored following yesterday's widespread outage that ensnared thousands of universities and schools. —Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026

The high-profile dispute ensnared other celebrities in Lively and Baldoni's orbit as the legal discovery process in their case exposed the stars' private communications. —Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 4 May 2026

Small, phallic-looking worms rummaged through ocean-floor sediments while blind swimming beasts flung out whiplike tentacles to ensnare prey. —Marlowe Starling, Quanta Magazine, 1 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ensnare

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

Kids Definition

ensnare

verb

en·​snare in-ˈsna(ə)r 

-ˈsne(ə)r

: snare entry 2 sense 1, entrap