trap

1 a device or scheme for capturing another by surprise undercover agents devised a trap to catch the counterfeiters a bear trap Synonyms ambush, net, snare, web Related Words enmeshment, entanglement, entrapment, envelopment; booby trap, catch, hazard, land mine, pitfall, snag; artifice, cheat, cheating, deception, double-dealing, duplicity, ploy, ruse, subterfuge, trick

2 a setup in which hidden attackers lie in wait an overland route to the Far East that was once notorious for the many robbers who laid traps for unsuspecting wayfarers Synonyms ambuscade, ambushment, surprise (also surpize), ambushRelated Words assault, attack, charge, sally; capture, entrapment, mousetrap, snare; hunting, stalking

3 something that catches and holds the promotion is really just a trap to keep her from taking a new job elsewhere Synonyms entanglement, mesh(es), morass, net, noose, quagmire, quicksand, snare, tanglement, toil(s), webRelated Words knot, snarl, tangle; cat's cradle, labyrinth, maze; cobweb, spiderweb

4 slang  the opening through which food passes into the body of an animal shut your trap before someone belts you one! Synonyms chops, gob [chiefly British], kisser [slang], mug, piehole [slang], mouth [slang], yap [slang]Related Words countenance, face, puss [slang], visage; muzzle; jaws, mandible, maxilla; gullet, maw