as in trapping
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 ensnaring
Last September, when news broke that another friend of Kraus’s, the journalist Olivia Nuzzi, had exchanged intimate texts with Kennedy, Kraus wrote a Substack post accusing Nuzzi of ensnaring Kennedy and insulted her looks on Instagram.
—
Clare Malone, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
On another, the Internal Revenue Code stands ready with its expatriation tax regime—potentially ensnaring not only those who voluntarily renounce their citizenship but also those whose citizenship is stripped away.
—Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
And yet, these counterattacks may be ensnaring scientists in a catch-22.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 23 Aug. 2025
Clare Malone, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
On another, the Internal Revenue Code stands ready with its expatriation tax regime—potentially ensnaring not only those who voluntarily renounce their citizenship but also those whose citizenship is stripped away.
—Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
And yet, these counterattacks may be ensnaring scientists in a catch-22.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ensnaring
Verb
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The name beaver moon comes from beavers setting up their lodges for winter during this time of year, and the history of trapping beavers for the North American fur trade during this season, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
20 Oct. 2025
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But agriculture, logging, invasive species, hunting and trapping, and climate change pose significant threats to birds worldwide.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Suncast resin hose hideaway prevents cracking, tangling and freezing as temperatures drop.—
Nora Colomer
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
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But Pynchon is also funny, and the disorientation of his novels gives ways to discovery, and un-tangling, and the characters have goofy names that allude to their archetypal nature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That total lack of self-awareness and disregard for consequences fed right into Epstein’s warped way of entrapping others.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ensnaring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ensnaring. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
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