as in bound
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1
as in tangled
to catch or hold as if in a net
an ambitious young man who was now trapped in a series of shady business deals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grabbed
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
finally trapped the annoying fly in the palm of his hand
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of trapped
Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 9 Jan. 2026
Multiple approaches—superconducting, trapped ions, photonics, and neutral atoms—showed credible paths forward, reinforcing the idea that the field is converging on solutions, not dead ends.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025
Published by Electronic Arts (EA), the game follows authors Mio Hudson and Zoe Foster who become trapped in the fictional world of their books by a malevolent machine.
—Marc Saltzman, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
In Identity, a group of strangers become trapped in a desert motel during a storm and someone (or something) starts picking them off one by one.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
Following the grain helps the wool fibers to lie in the same direction and release trapped dust.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 14 Dec. 2025
At least two apartment buildings are still ablaze more than a day after fires broke out, according to local media footage, with rescuers saying extremely high temperatures have hampered their ability to reach trapped residents.
—Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025
Hundreds of thousands more people remain trapped in Southeast Asian scam centers, according to the United Nations.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2025
The souls of the Saprus—especially those of Eela and Mansi—remain trapped there, reliving the trauma of their deaths.
—Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 8 Nov. 2025
Leo Barraclough, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
The disconcerting scene offers a glimpse of what actually happened to Will while he was trapped for most of Season 1 and suggests that Will may still be impacted by whatever Vecna put inside him at the beginning of the story.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2025
But their time together quickly turns into a physical and psychological fight for survival when they get trapped in a sauna where no one can hear their cries for help.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
Whoever dispatched that ambulance might be one of many employees at the Department of Emergency Communications who have felt uncomfortable, yelled at and trapped between their calling to help people and what several current and former dispatchers have called a hostile work environment.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 6 Nov. 2025
Most of Ukraine’s Donbas region, where the 17 were said to be trapped, is under Russian military control, and Moscow has been accused in the past by developing countries of recruiting their citizens to fight on its behalf under false pretenses.
—Reuters 16 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
Without birth control, access to education, or opportunities for meaningful employment, the woman was trapped within the confines of the family in perpetuity.
—Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
She’s framed through a series of doorways, simultaneously outside the walls and trapped within them.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Ian Shorr wrote the script for Shiver, which has been described as having shades of Edge of Tomorrow, the Tom Cruise sci-fi movie about a soldier trapped in a time loop during an alien invasion, and The Shallows, the Blake Lively shark survival movie.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Wednesday when their vehicle became trapped in snow.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 9 Jan. 2026
Multiple approaches—superconducting, trapped ions, photonics, and neutral atoms—showed credible paths forward, reinforcing the idea that the field is converging on solutions, not dead ends.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025
Published by Electronic Arts (EA), the game follows authors Mio Hudson and Zoe Foster who become trapped in the fictional world of their books by a malevolent machine.
—Marc Saltzman, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
In Identity, a group of strangers become trapped in a desert motel during a storm and someone (or something) starts picking them off one by one.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
Following the grain helps the wool fibers to lie in the same direction and release trapped dust.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 14 Dec. 2025
At least two apartment buildings are still ablaze more than a day after fires broke out, according to local media footage, with rescuers saying extremely high temperatures have hampered their ability to reach trapped residents.
—Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025
Hundreds of thousands more people remain trapped in Southeast Asian scam centers, according to the United Nations.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2025
The souls of the Saprus—especially those of Eela and Mansi—remain trapped there, reliving the trauma of their deaths.
—Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
During the auditions, wannabe actors are asked to improvise scenes including being a cat, being trapped in a room, and being propositioned by a famous director.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
The disconcerting scene offers a glimpse of what actually happened to Will while he was trapped for most of Season 1 and suggests that Will may still be impacted by whatever Vecna put inside him at the beginning of the story.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2025
But their time together quickly turns into a physical and psychological fight for survival when they get trapped in a sauna where no one can hear their cries for help.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
Whoever dispatched that ambulance might be one of many employees at the Department of Emergency Communications who have felt uncomfortable, yelled at and trapped between their calling to help people and what several current and former dispatchers have called a hostile work environment.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 6 Nov. 2025
Most of Ukraine’s Donbas region, where the 17 were said to be trapped, is under Russian military control, and Moscow has been accused in the past by developing countries of recruiting their citizens to fight on its behalf under false pretenses.
—Reuters 16 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
Without birth control, access to education, or opportunities for meaningful employment, the woman was trapped within the confines of the family in perpetuity.
—Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
She’s framed through a series of doorways, simultaneously outside the walls and trapped within them.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Ian Shorr wrote the script for Shiver, which has been described as having shades of Edge of Tomorrow, the Tom Cruise sci-fi movie about a soldier trapped in a time loop during an alien invasion, and The Shallows, the Blake Lively shark survival movie.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trapped
Adjective
-
Over that time, galaxies, galaxy groups, and galaxy clusters all formed bound structures.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Oct. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
Crowded roots may also be tightly packed and tangled, causing the plant to begin to push out of its pot.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Washington and Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez get their feet tangled up and both went to the ground.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Shakarna grabbed her medication and headed to try to reach her, fearing for her life.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
But like de Blasio did 12 years earlier, Mamdani identified the growing crisis of unaffordability as the city's most pressing problem and grabbed attention − especially from the young and online − by promising to address it.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
But over the past several decades, scholars have made headway in piecing together the ideas and actions of resistance leaders such as Aponte, as well as of the enslaved themselves.—
Laurent Dubois,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
-
These courts originated in the 1690 Act for the Better Ordering of Slaves and operated for more than 150 years outside constitutional protection, explicitly denying enslaved people the trial rights that white Americans enjoyed.—
Time,
Time,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Courts have sometimes concluded the government's conduct was outrageous when police have used brutality against a defendant or government agents entrapped a defendant.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
-
In this version, Washington stars as the head of Stackin’ Records, who gets entrapped in a ransom plot.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Secure loose outdoor items and adjust plans as necessary so you're not caught outside.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Boasting over 1,300 five-star ratings, this foldable cushion caught my attention because it can be used for lower back pain, too.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
That makes the technology attractive for confined environments, such as ships and spacecraft, according to the Institute of Mechanics.—
Sam Stevenson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Nov. 2025
-
Given how much of the story takes place in a confined setting, when one character launches themselves across a table to attack another, the moment is breathtaking.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
31 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
Cite this Entry
“Trapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trapped. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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