Synonyms of ensnare

ensnare

verb

in-ˈsner 

as in to trap

to catch or hold as if in a net

parked just out of view, the state trooper was lying in wait to ensnare unwary speeders

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trap
• tangle
• entrap
• enmesh
• entangle
• snare
• mesh
• involve
• net
• capture
• ensnarl
• catch up
• implicate
• entoil
• embroil
• collar
• mire
• birdlime
• bag

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disentangle
• extricate
• detach
• disengage
• liberate
• untangle
• free
• clear

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb ensnare contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of ensnare are bag, capture, catch, entrap, snare, and trap. While all these words mean "to come to possess or control by or as if by seizing," 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

When can bag be used instead of ensnare?

While in some cases nearly identical to ensnare, bag implies shooting down a fleeing or distant prey.

bagged a brace of pheasants

When is it sensible to use capture instead of ensnare?

In some situations, the words capture and ensnare are roughly equivalent. However, capture suggests taking by overcoming resistance or difficulty.

capture an enemy stronghold

When could catch be used to replace ensnare?

Although the words catch and ensnare have much in common, catch implies the seizing of something in motion or in flight or in hiding.

caught the dog as it ran by

How are the words entrap and ensnare related?

Both entrap and ensnare more often are figurative.

entrapped the witness with a trick question

a sting operation that ensnared burglars

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ensnare

In this case, that meant that the delivery companies needed to ensnare people who had never made delivery a part of their life before. —Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2025

The pendant threads through Casino Royale and resurfaces in Quantum of Solace, where it’s revealed as a calling card of the network that ensnared Vesper; Bond (Daniel Craig) even carries it as a memento mori. —Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025

Associates of the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese crime families were named in a sweeping indictment that also ensnared Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, and one-time NBA journeyman Damon Jones, according to prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York. —David K. Li, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025

Around the same time, Ortega-Jiménez discovered that spiderwebs deform when positively charged insects fly by, bulging out to ensnare them. —Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2025