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
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
The device ensnared the Mustang, causing the vehicle to veer off the road into a ditch, according to police.
—Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 7 Nov. 2025
The ruling left little hope for legal relief for Khan or for any Pakistani citizens who find themselves ensnared in similar situations.
—Rafia Zakaria, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
For the first time, prosecutors also publicly linked Azevedo’s case to a sprawling corruption case in Oakland, which ensnared the city’s former mayor, Sheng Thao, along with her romantic partner, Andre Jones, and the father-and-son business duo of David and Andy Duong.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 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
The film’s final reveal is one last turning of the knife in Lapid’s incisive, combustible critique of a country ensnared in the delirium of war.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 2025
Long ensnared in his long relationship with the now deceased Epstein, who supposedly committed suicide while in police custody in 2019, Andrew has become a public pariah to his image-conscious family since his mother’s death in 2022.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, Jonathan and Mina Harker return to Transylvania with their teenage daughter, Quincey — only for her to be ensnared in the castle’s sinister games.
—Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Online, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
An ongoing investigation into game-fixing in college basketball has ensnared six more athletes from three additional schools.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
The device ensnared the Mustang, causing the vehicle to veer off the road into a ditch, according to police.
—Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 7 Nov. 2025
The ruling left little hope for legal relief for Khan or for any Pakistani citizens who find themselves ensnared in similar situations.
—Rafia Zakaria, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
For the first time, prosecutors also publicly linked Azevedo’s case to a sprawling corruption case in Oakland, which ensnared the city’s former mayor, Sheng Thao, along with her romantic partner, Andre Jones, and the father-and-son business duo of David and Andy Duong.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 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
The film’s final reveal is one last turning of the knife in Lapid’s incisive, combustible critique of a country ensnared in the delirium of war.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 2025
Long ensnared in his long relationship with the now deceased Epstein, who supposedly committed suicide while in police custody in 2019, Andrew has become a public pariah to his image-conscious family since his mother’s death in 2022.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, Jonathan and Mina Harker return to Transylvania with their teenage daughter, Quincey — only for her to be ensnared in the castle’s sinister games.
—Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Online, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ensnared
Adjective
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Edge to edge cleaning provided a thorough dust and dirt removal process, and there were no tangles thanks to the detangling brush, which eliminated the need to stop and remove trapped hair.—
Terri Williams,
Architectural Digest,
3 Nov. 2025
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The dog became trapped on a ledge about 40 feet down the cliff, firefighters said in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Democrats are currently so desperate for strong male role models to promote as candidates that they’re all tangled up over whether a burly Maine oysterman’s Nazi-symbol tattoo is defensible.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
5 Nov. 2025
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Nothing twisted or tangled together during the drying process.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Over that time, galaxies, galaxy groups, and galaxy clusters all formed bound structures.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Oct. 2025
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Vorobok searched the library’s newspaper databases as well as city directories, Sanborn maps and bound editions of the original century-old newspapers, then compiled it all online with the help of the digital services team.—
Jeff Suess,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Two copies of a poetry book by formerly enslaved poet Phillis Wheatley are bound in human skin and housed in Cincinnati.—
Cameron Knight,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
31 Oct. 2025
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In Marx’s terms, enslaved workers actually represent variable capital in the production process.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ensnared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ensnared. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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