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