Definition of trap
(Entry 1 of 4)
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 escape
b : 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 player
c : the act or an instance of trapping the ball in soccer
d : 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 air
b : sand trap
c : 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
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
9 traps plural
[speed trap] : a measured stretch of a course over which electronic timing devices measure the speed of a vehicle (such as a racing car or dragster)
trap
verb (1)trapped; trapping
Definition of trap (Entry 2 of 4)
1a : 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
b : to separate out (something, such as water from steam)
4a : 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
1 : to engage in trapping animals (as for furs)
2 : to make a defensive trap in basketball
trap
verb (2)trapped; trapping
Definition of trap (Entry 3 of 4)
: to adorn with or as if with trappings
trap
noun (2)Definition of trap (Entry 4 of 4)
: traprock
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Time Traveler for trap
The first known use of trap was before the 12th century
See more words from the same century