mousetrap

1 of 2

noun

mouse·​trap ˈmau̇s-ˌtrap 

1

: a trap for mice

2

: a stratagem that lures one to defeat or destruction

3

: trap entry 1 sense 2b

mousetrap

2 of 2

verb

mousetrapped; mousetrapping; mousetraps

transitive verb

: to snare in or as if in a mousetrap

Phrases

a better mousetrap

: a new or improved product that attracts attention in a highly competitive market

As Bitcoin is adopted by the moneyed class as a better mousetrap for the establishment …

—Bethany McLean

Examples of mousetrap in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

If the locker room was riding high, or if the team was favored heavily against a particular opponent, Parcells would whip out the mousetraps. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 3 Oct. 2025

If YouTube delivered a huge ratings number, the broadcast networks that have leaned on their reach for relevance – Fox, CBS, NBC and ABC – would have to admit that YouTube, with its 2 billion monthly active users, is simply a better mousetrap to maximize audience. —Contessa Brewer,alex Sherman, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025

Verb

All of that seems to have been forgotten, though, in the rush to better mousetrap the category with extreme levels of brightness, unconventional form factors, solar charging, and other needless complication. —Wes Siler, Outside Online, 9 Apr. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1864, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing mousetrap

• a better mousetrap

Rhymes for mousetrap

• handicap
• overlap
• thunderclap
• wiretap
• app
• cap
• chap
• clap
• crap
• flap
• frap
• gap