Synonyms of snare

snare 1 of 2

noun

ˈsner 

1

as in trap

a device or scheme for capturing another by surprise

you fell for my clever snare, you fool!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trap
• ambush
• web
• ruse
• net
• trick
• deception
• entanglement
• envelopment
• snag
• entrapment
• catch
• hazard
• pitfall
• subterfuge
• land mine
• duplicity
• cheat
• ploy
• enmeshment
• cheating
• booby trap
• double-dealing
• artifice

2

as in tangle

something that catches and holds

someday you'll find that your lies are a snare from which you can't escape

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trap
• tangle
• noose
• web
• entanglement
• labyrinth
• quicksand
• net
• maze
• quagmire
• morass
• mesh(es)
• toil(s)
• tanglement
• snarl
• knot
• cobweb
• spiderweb
• cat's cradle

snare

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to trap

to catch or hold as if in a net

easily distracted by any bright object that snared his eye

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trap
• tangle
• ensnare
• entrap
• mesh
• enmesh
• net
• entangle
• capture
• catch up
• involve
• entoil
• ensnarl
• implicate
• collar
• birdlime
• embroil
• mire
• bag

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disentangle
• extricate
• detach
• disengage
• free
• clear
• liberate
• untangle

2

as in to grab

to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly

campers trying to snare brook trout for supper

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grab
• catch
• snatch
• trap
• capture
• seize
• get
• land
• hook
• snag
• nab
• net
• snap (up)
• rap
• grapple
• corral
• take hold (of)
• nail
• bag
• cop
• rope
• collar
• nobble
• clutch
• grasp
• arrest
• glom
• glove
• grip
• apprehend
• hold
• secure
• detain
• ensnare
• fist
• entrap
• clasp
• lasso
• bay
• kidnap
• corner
• mesh
• latch (on or onto)
• rend
• entangle
• fasten (on)
• halter
• abduct
• wrest
• spirit (away or off)
• enmesh

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• miss
• release
• free
• discharge
• drop
• liberate
• loosen
• unhand

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb snare contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of snare are bag, capture, catch, ensnare, entrap, and trap. While all these words mean "to come to possess or control by or as if by seizing," trap, snare, entrap, ensnare imply seizing by some device that holds the one caught at the mercy of the captor. trap and snare apply more commonly to physical seizing.

trap animals

snared butterflies with a net

When is bag a more appropriate choice than snare?

In some situations, the words bag and snare are roughly equivalent. However, bag implies shooting down a fleeing or distant prey.

bagged a brace of pheasants

When is it sensible to use capture instead of snare?

Although the words capture and snare have much in common, capture suggests taking by overcoming resistance or difficulty.

capture an enemy stronghold

When would catch be a good substitute for snare?

The synonyms catch and snare are sometimes interchangeable, but catch implies the seizing of something in motion or in flight or in hiding.

caught the dog as it ran by

How are the words entrap and ensnare related as synonyms of snare?

Both entrap and ensnare more often are figurative.

entrapped the witness with a trick question

a sting operation that ensnared burglars

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of snare

Noun

Unfortunately, during his journey, Vasi encountered a wire snare trap, which ended up clamped around his back leg in September 2019. —Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025

Christie Jourdain is band leader and snare drummer for The Original Pinettes, the city’s first all-female brass band that formed in 1991. —Jenny Adams, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025

Verb

Even when Purdy got strip-sacked, the ball was snared in mid-air by Luke Farrell for a 3-yard gain. —Cam Inman, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025

By halftime on Saturday night at the Intuit Dome, the Clippers seemed to have the Lakers snared in a trap game. —Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 21 Dec. 2025