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
Montespan’s rivals accused her of ensnaring the king using the dark art of potions.
—
Hilton Als, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025
Out of her depth, Diane digs deeper into the investigation, her determination to uncover the truth revealing a web of corruption and danger at the highest levels, ensnaring Diane, her family and all those around her.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
Meanwhile, funding for critical government programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC), as well as national flood insurance are running critically low on funds, potentially ensnaring millions of Americans.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 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
Preventing disputes from erupting in the first place can help people avert the costly and embarrassing kind of litigation now ensnaring Jimmy Buffett’s estate.
—Naomi Cahn, The Conversation, 2 July 2025
Hilton Als, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025
Out of her depth, Diane digs deeper into the investigation, her determination to uncover the truth revealing a web of corruption and danger at the highest levels, ensnaring Diane, her family and all those around her.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
Meanwhile, funding for critical government programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC), as well as national flood insurance are running critically low on funds, potentially ensnaring millions of Americans.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 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
Preventing disputes from erupting in the first place can help people avert the costly and embarrassing kind of litigation now ensnaring Jimmy Buffett’s estate.
—Naomi Cahn, The Conversation, 2 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ensnaring
Verb
-
If those steps don’t work, Kellum said other options might include trapping and potentially using nonlethal projectiles, such as paint balls, to chase away, haze and deter them.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Jan. 2026
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Skies clear out Tuesday night and, without the blanket of heat-trapping clouds, temperatures will drop even more by Wednesday morning, with lows near freezing.—
Newsroom Meteorologist,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Laces can be washed in the same load, ideally tucked into another laundry bag to prevent tangling.—
Katie Cloyd,
Martha Stewart,
29 Dec. 2025
-
The large brush roll resists tangling hair and pet fur, which eliminates the need to stop and pull items off the brush—and also eliminates a clogged pipe.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Getting young people to trust and depend on the traffickers is part of entrapping them.—
Anne P. DePrince,
The Conversation,
17 Dec. 2025
-
One of the most disturbing sequences on this show is Gacy luring in and entrapping 15-year-old Robert Piest (Ryker Baloun), whose disappearance is where the series starts.—
Derek Lawrence,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ensnaring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ensnaring. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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