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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bound
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of trapped
Emy Lacroix, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Some people remain trapped under the rubble.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
According to Tom Fletcher, the United Nations humanitarian chief, hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped in El Fasher, lacking food and health care.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Therefore, the researchers suggest that in pure ice, radiation byproducts such as free radicals become trapped and immobilized, slowing the chemical breakdown of biological molecules.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2025
West Coast Haunted Hikes The West Coast holds trails with secrets, sites where there is blood in the soil, and land claimed to hold trapped souls.
—Emilee Coblentz, Outside, 16 Oct. 2025
Most of us remain trapped in our own language bubble and cultural assumptions, and the publishing industry is no exception.
—The Dial, 7 Oct. 2025
However, after the crash, the four occupants became trapped as the Cybertruck burned, attorneys said.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Conquistadors once believed the native Calusa tribe had used the island as a graveyard, and some say spirits remain trapped here, unable to cross the surrounding waters.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2025
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
For five years, Ave and the other children trapped there — three of them aged six and under — were brutally pimped by their trafficker until a neighbor summoned the cops.
—Natalia Paradies, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Infants can become trapped between the mattress and the play yard wall, potentially leading to suffocation.
—Daniel Orton, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 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
As of Friday morning, some people reportedly remained trapped by flooding in Cauto del Paso, in the roof of a bodega and on top of a roof of the village’s electric substation, their relatives said on social media.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
On the way to Santa Fe, motor through Tucumcari’s trapped-in-time Route 66 roadside buildings, such as the Tee Pee Curios gift shop.
—Kit Bernardi, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
An early freeze had trapped them in an icebound lagoon four miles short of open water.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
At the time of the interview, at least four people had been killed and at least seven had been injured; dozens of others were still trapped under the rubble.
—Mosab Abu Toha, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
Free of blood and gore, Nightbooks follows a kid who loves scary stories until he is forced to tell a new one every night or stay trapped in a witch's lair forever.
—Emy Lacroix, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Some people remain trapped under the rubble.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
According to Tom Fletcher, the United Nations humanitarian chief, hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped in El Fasher, lacking food and health care.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Therefore, the researchers suggest that in pure ice, radiation byproducts such as free radicals become trapped and immobilized, slowing the chemical breakdown of biological molecules.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2025
West Coast Haunted Hikes The West Coast holds trails with secrets, sites where there is blood in the soil, and land claimed to hold trapped souls.
—Emilee Coblentz, Outside, 16 Oct. 2025
Most of us remain trapped in our own language bubble and cultural assumptions, and the publishing industry is no exception.
—The Dial, 7 Oct. 2025
However, after the crash, the four occupants became trapped as the Cybertruck burned, attorneys said.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Conquistadors once believed the native Calusa tribe had used the island as a graveyard, and some say spirits remain trapped here, unable to cross the surrounding waters.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
The film follows Ren, a 16-year-old Filipino-Italian teenager trapped in his mother Mia’s possessive love, who must break free during a three-day Filipino wake as Typhoon Edith approaches Manila.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
For five years, Ave and the other children trapped there — three of them aged six and under — were brutally pimped by their trafficker until a neighbor summoned the cops.
—Natalia Paradies, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Infants can become trapped between the mattress and the play yard wall, potentially leading to suffocation.
—Daniel Orton, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 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
As of Friday morning, some people reportedly remained trapped by flooding in Cauto del Paso, in the roof of a bodega and on top of a roof of the village’s electric substation, their relatives said on social media.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
On the way to Santa Fe, motor through Tucumcari’s trapped-in-time Route 66 roadside buildings, such as the Tee Pee Curios gift shop.
—Kit Bernardi, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
An early freeze had trapped them in an icebound lagoon four miles short of open water.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
At the time of the interview, at least four people had been killed and at least seven had been injured; dozens of others were still trapped under the rubble.
—Mosab Abu Toha, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trapped
Verb
-
Bagsmart Tech Organizer Nothing feels messier than cords tangled at the bottom of your bag mid-travel day, which is why this smart tech organizer never leaves my suitcase.—
Samantha Leal,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The defense was often tangled or disorganized getting back in transition.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After the fight, Meza grabbed a revolver from his car and shot Christina.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The Club name changed the narrative with its quarterly results as its cloud computing unit grabbed market share, again.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
31 Oct. 2025
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
-
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
-
In his recent appearance on Apple TV's The Reluctant Traveler, Eugene Levy meets the Prince of Wales, 43, on the grounds of Windsor Castle — and the actor is immediately caught off guard by the royal’s mode of transportation.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
People who caught the flu were up to six times more likely to have a heart attack in the month after the infection, and those who had Covid-19 had nearly twice the risk of developing heart disease or stroke compared with people who hadn’t been infected.—
Asuka Koda,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
American history traces this painful legacy back to slave patrols, groups of armed white men, often sanctioned by local governments, who were tasked with tracking, capturing, and punishing enslaved people in the American South.—
Josiah Bates,
Time,
14 Oct. 2025
-
In Marx’s terms, enslaved workers actually represent variable capital in the production process.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But her quest for answers would unearth a family secret – and a doctor’s decades-old deception that has ensnared multiple families across the country.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The pendant threads through Casino Royale and resurfaces in Quantum of Solace, where it’s revealed as a calling card of the network that ensnared Vesper; Bond (Daniel Craig) even carries it as a memento mori.—
Lilah Ramzi,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This satellite image captured in its aftermath shows extensive flooding throughout the city and large pools of water around storage facilities at the city’s main port.—
Avery Schmitz,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Earlier this month, Putin said Russian forces had captured nearly 5,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory since the start of the year — a claim Ukraine disputes.—
Efrat Lachter , Anders Hagstrom,
FOXNews.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trapped. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share