trap

1 of 2

verb

trapped; trapping; traps

transitive verb

1

a

: to catch or take in or as if in a trap : entrap

b

: to place in a restricted position : confine

trapped in the burning wreck

2

: to provide or set (a place) with traps

3

a

: stop, hold

These mountains trap rains and fogs generated over the ocean …

—Amer. Guide Series: Calif.

b

: to separate out (something, such as water from steam)

4

a

: to catch (something, such as a baseball) immediately after a bounce

b

: to block out (a defensive football player) by means of a trap

c

: to stop and gain control of (a soccer ball) with a part of the body other than the hands or arms

intransitive verb

1

: to engage in trapping animals (as for furs)

2

: to make a defensive trap in basketball

trapper noun

trapper

2 of 2

noun

ˈtrapə(r)

plural -s

1

: one that traps: such as

a

: one whose business is trapping animals for furs or food or for sale alive

b

: one that traps fish

2

: a boy who attends to the opening and closing of ventilation doors in a mine

3

: one that manages a trap for trapshooting

4

: a horse that draws a trap

5

British : a pointsman who points or switches trucks or cars into a siding

Synonyms of trap

Verb

• tangle
• entrap
• snare
• ensnare
• mesh

Choose the Right Synonym for trap

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 trap in a Sentence

Verb

an ambitious young man who was now trapped in a series of shady business deals

finally trapped the annoying fly in the palm of his hand

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In most realistic cases, however, borrowers are trapped in prolonged repayment cycles, where borrowers continually carry a revolving credit balance from month to month while making only partial or minimum payments. —Ali Besharat, The Conversation, 4 June 2026

These proteins, like a kind of molecular Velcro, latch onto sugar molecules that coat viruses like Ebola and trap them as blood passes through the system. —Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 4 June 2026

Then, as his 15 minutes of fame began to run out and his powers destabilized from heavy drinking, DeMarr accidentally trapped Gad inside him during a movie stunt gone wrong. —Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026

With millions of families trapped in legal limbo, the demand for immigration lawyers far exceeds the supply of legitimate legal services. —Albinson Linares, NBC news, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing trap

• blacklight trap
• death trap
• keep one's trap shut
• leghold trap
• light trap
• live trap
• lobster trap
• poverty trap
• rat trap cheese
• sand trap
• speed trap
• spring a trap
• steel-trap
• thirst trap
• tourist trap
• trap beat
• trap-door spider
• trap music

Rhymes for trap

• app
• cap
• chap
• clap
• crap
• flap
• frap
• gap
• hap
• lap
• nap
• nappe

Kids Definition

trap

1 of 2 noun

ˈtrap 

1

: a device for catching animals

especially : one that catches by springing shut suddenly

2

: something by which one is caught unawares

3

a

: a device for hurling clay pigeons into the air

b

: sand trap

4

: a light usually one-horse carriage with springs

5

: any of various devices for preventing passage of one thing often while allowing something else to proceed

especially : a device for drains or sewers consisting of a bend or chamber in which the liquid forms a seal to prevent the passage of sewer gas

6

plural : a group of percussion instruments (as in a dance band)

trap

2 of 2 verb

trapped; trapping

1

a

: to catch in or as if in a trap

trap a bird

b

: to place in a restricted position : confine

was almost trapped in the burning building

2

: to provide or set with a trap

3

: to engage in trapping animals (as for fur)

trapper noun