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Definition of trap
1 : a device for taking game or other animals; especially : one that holds by springing shut suddenly
2a : something by which one is caught or stopped unawares; also : a position or situation from which it is difficult or impossible to escapeb : a football play in which a defensive player is allowed to cross the line of scrimmage and then is blocked from the side while the ballcarrier advances through the spot vacated by the defensive playerc : the act or an instance of trapping the ball in soccerd : a defensive maneuver in basketball in which two defenders converge quickly on the ball handler to steal the ball or force a bad pass
3a : a device for hurling clay pigeons into the airb : sand trapc : a piece of leather or section of interwoven leather straps between the thumb and index finger of a baseball glove that forms an extension of the pocket
4 slang : mouth
5 : a light usually one-horse carriage with springs
6 : any of various devices for preventing passage of something often while allowing other matter to proceed; especially : a device for drains or sewers consisting of a bend or partitioned chamber in which the liquid forms a seal to prevent the passage of sewer gas
7 traps plural : a group of percussion instruments (such as a bass drum, snare drums, and cymbals) used especially in a dance or jazz band
8 : an arrangement of rock strata that favors the accumulation of oil and gas
Explore Merriam-Webster
Origin and Etymology of trap
Middle English, from Old English treppe & Anglo-French trape (of Germanic origin); akin to Middle Dutch trappe trap, stair, Old English treppan to tread
trap
Definition of trap
trapped
;trapping
transitive verb
1a : to catch or take in or as if in a trap : entrapb : to place in a restricted position : confine trapped in the burning wreck
2 : to provide or set (a place) with traps
3a : 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)
4a : to catch (something, such as a baseball) immediately after a bounceb : to block out (a defensive football player) by means of a trapc : 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
nounFirst Known Use of trap
14th century
Synonym Discussion of trap
trap
Definition of trap
trapped
;trapping
transitive verb
: to adorn with or as if with trappings
Origin and Etymology of trap
Middle English trappen, from trappe caparison, from Anglo-French trape, probably from Medieval Latin trapus cloth, by-form of Late Latin drappus
Origin and Etymology of trap
Swedish trapp, from trappa stair, from Middle Low German trappe; akin to Middle Dutch trappe stair
Other Civil Engineering Terms
TRAP Defined for Kids
Definition of trap for Students
1 : a device for catching animals
2 : something by which someone is caught or stopped by surprise Police set a trap for the criminal.
3 : a light one-horse carriage with springs
4 : a device that allows something to pass through but keeps other things out a trap in a drain
Definition of trap for Students
trapped
;trapping
1 : to catch or be caught in a trap Hunters were trapping game. The animal was trapped.
2 : to put or get in a place or position from which escape is not possible Humidity trapped in the hills clung to the mountainside … — Virginia Hamilton, M. C. Higgins
trapper
nounLearn More about trap
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See words that rhyme with trap Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for trap Spanish Central: Translation of trap Nglish: Translation of trap for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of trap for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about trap
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