as in tangled
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in trapped
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Recent Examples of ensnared
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2025
The legislation changes how the law describes the federal government and the legislature’s view of Second Amendment rights, in an effort to sidestep the legal problems that ensnared the 2021 law.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2025
First, Watson ensnared Tulane quarterback Ty Thompson on a third-down run, lifted him several feet off the turf and threw him down.
—Joey Knight, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2025
The shelter melee case is among a long list of legal troubles Pearson, a former NYPD inspector and longtime friend to Adams, was ensnared in while in the mayor’s administration.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025
Analysis of wasps trapped in amber has revealed that the insect ensnared hosts for its larvae with an alluring, Venus flytrap-style butt.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 26 Mar. 2025
That policy has now ensnared Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate of Columbia University and a leader in the Palestinian rights protest movement at the school.
—Gabriel J. Chin, The Conversation, 12 Mar. 2025
Leake ensnared him, the victim’s father and two of their acquaintances.
—Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025
The family of shows ensnared plenty of big names throughout their air, including Gary Busey, Omarosa, LaToya Jackson and Lisa Rinna.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
The original suit also ensnared the Harvard Club of New York, where lawyers for the women allege Toback was a frequent customer, often taking his victims there for meals and drinks before attacking them.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2025
The legislation changes how the law describes the federal government and the legislature’s view of Second Amendment rights, in an effort to sidestep the legal problems that ensnared the 2021 law.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2025
First, Watson ensnared Tulane quarterback Ty Thompson on a third-down run, lifted him several feet off the turf and threw him down.
—Joey Knight, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2025
The shelter melee case is among a long list of legal troubles Pearson, a former NYPD inspector and longtime friend to Adams, was ensnared in while in the mayor’s administration.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025
Analysis of wasps trapped in amber has revealed that the insect ensnared hosts for its larvae with an alluring, Venus flytrap-style butt.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 26 Mar. 2025
That policy has now ensnared Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate of Columbia University and a leader in the Palestinian rights protest movement at the school.
—Gabriel J. Chin, The Conversation, 12 Mar. 2025
Leake ensnared him, the victim’s father and two of their acquaintances.
—Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025
The family of shows ensnared plenty of big names throughout their air, including Gary Busey, Omarosa, LaToya Jackson and Lisa Rinna.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ensnared
Adjective
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The film is another attempt to reinvent the zombie-movie-genre wheel wholesale, and the result is both audacious and bound to be divisive.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
24 June 2025
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The Yankees managed just five base runners off Crochet before Judge finally unloaded on a pitch, driving a towering shot that seemed bound to clank off the Citgo sign well beyond Fenway Park’s dimensions.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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The actual freeing of enslaved people occurred at varying times throughout the territories where slavery existed, depending on how far the Union Army had advanced.—
Hank Beckman,
Chicago Tribune,
23 June 2025
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The video, which was recorded at a store in Atlanta, Georgia, showed several cakes minimally decorated in honor of the federal holiday on June 19, which marks the 1865 emancipation of the last enslaved people in the United States.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
21 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ensnared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ensnared. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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