as in trapped
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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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Recent Examples of ensnared
Matt Donnelly, Variety, 22 Jan. 2026
An investigation into a sprawling betting scheme to rig NCAA and Chinese Basketball Association games has ensnared 26 people, including more than a dozen college basketball players who tried to fix games as recently as last season, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Jan. 2026
And her tormentors are all abruptly, painfully departing the scene or, at the very least, becoming ensnared in one humiliation after another.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
The ones announced Thursday arrived three months after federal prosecutors in New York charged 34 people after two investigations that ensnared Rozier, Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones.
—Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
At a time of aggressive immigration enforcement activity that has ensnared others with green cards, Ahmed isn’t taking chances.
—Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2026
It's been nearly a decade since The Night Manager ensnared viewers in its sticky web of arms dealers, secret agents, and dodgy bureaucrats.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Jan. 2026
On Netflix April 24, 2026 | Action Thriller A grieving woman testing her limits in the Australian wilderness is suddenly ensnared in a deadly game with a ruthless predator.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
Governors, speakers and cabinet officials ensnared in scandal routinely resigned.
—Brandon Rottinghaus, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
The Sony executives are far from the only power players ensnared by this evidence dump.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 22 Jan. 2026
An investigation into a sprawling betting scheme to rig NCAA and Chinese Basketball Association games has ensnared 26 people, including more than a dozen college basketball players who tried to fix games as recently as last season, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Jan. 2026
And her tormentors are all abruptly, painfully departing the scene or, at the very least, becoming ensnared in one humiliation after another.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
The ones announced Thursday arrived three months after federal prosecutors in New York charged 34 people after two investigations that ensnared Rozier, Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones.
—Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
At a time of aggressive immigration enforcement activity that has ensnared others with green cards, Ahmed isn’t taking chances.
—Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2026
It's been nearly a decade since The Night Manager ensnared viewers in its sticky web of arms dealers, secret agents, and dodgy bureaucrats.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Jan. 2026
On Netflix April 24, 2026 | Action Thriller A grieving woman testing her limits in the Australian wilderness is suddenly ensnared in a deadly game with a ruthless predator.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
Governors, speakers and cabinet officials ensnared in scandal routinely resigned.
—Brandon Rottinghaus, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ensnared
Adjective
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Clunky, constrictive shoes take up excess leg room and can make your feet feel trapped.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Jan. 2026
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Firefighters rescued two adults, a child and a cat from a burning third-floor apartment in Michigan as crews raced to save trapped residents during a fast-moving blaze and subzero temperatures Tuesday night.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Crowded roots may also be tightly packed and tangled, causing the plant to begin to push out of its pot.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 Jan. 2026
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Washington and Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez get their feet tangled up and both went to the ground.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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One is 36 and on the backside of his career but proud of the fact that he’s never missed the playoffs – which the 6-20 Clippers seemed bound to do.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
18 Dec. 2025
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These objects have hyperbolic orbits, as opposed to the bound circular or elliptical orbits of everything native to the solar system.—
Darryl Seligman,
Space.com,
15 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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But over the past several decades, scholars have made headway in piecing together the ideas and actions of resistance leaders such as Aponte, as well as of the enslaved themselves.—
Laurent Dubois,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
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These courts originated in the 1690 Act for the Better Ordering of Slaves and operated for more than 150 years outside constitutional protection, explicitly denying enslaved people the trial rights that white Americans enjoyed.—
Time,
Time,
17 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ensnared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ensnared. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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