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
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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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Recent Examples of trapped
Skylar Woodhouse, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
This is what can lead to trapped water, which can cause a ton of costly structural damage.
—Molly Burford, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
Some of them remain trapped inside tiny pockets of concentrated salty liquid known as brine.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 7 Mar. 2026
Until Puerto Rico is allowed to decide how its energy is produced, who profits from it, and how it is governed, the archipelago will remain trapped in a system that reproduces vulnerability instead of resilience.
—Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
Lynch became trapped in her vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.
—Storey Wertheimer, NBC news, 25 Feb. 2026
Made from 100% sateen cotton, the sheets are designed to feel silky-smooth to the touch while still promoting airflow to help keep trapped heat at bay.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Feb. 2026
The flies will be drawn to the fruit, enter the jar and become trapped.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 21 Feb. 2026
Thorough cleaning is important to prevent microbes and fungi from growing on trapped residue.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 15 Feb. 2026
Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026
Witnesses said some people were trapped in their units, banging on windows and doors.
—Allen Devlin, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
An Ohio Ford employee is dead after being trapped and crushed by a malfunctioning industrial machine at a company plant this week.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Observers have also blamed the government for Transnet’s operational failures, arguing that the company is trapped by structural constraints that management alone cannot resolve.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 16 Mar. 2026
Anyone who observes a child or pet trapped in a hot vehicle is urged to call 911.
—City News Service, Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
Firefighters used a ladder to rescue a victim trapped on the second floor.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
Rescue workers from the army and other institutions were working to find any people trapped under the rubble, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
—ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026
The Voice of Hind Rajab Kaouther Ben Hania’s heart-wrenching docudrama is a marvel—a meticulous retelling of the true story of Hind Rajab, the six-year-old Palestinian girl who was trapped inside a car under fire in northern Gaza in January of 2024.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Millions of barrels of oil remain trapped in the Persian Gulf and traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz is effectively at a standstill.
—Skylar Woodhouse, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
This is what can lead to trapped water, which can cause a ton of costly structural damage.
—Molly Burford, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
Some of them remain trapped inside tiny pockets of concentrated salty liquid known as brine.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 7 Mar. 2026
Until Puerto Rico is allowed to decide how its energy is produced, who profits from it, and how it is governed, the archipelago will remain trapped in a system that reproduces vulnerability instead of resilience.
—Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
Lynch became trapped in her vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.
—Storey Wertheimer, NBC news, 25 Feb. 2026
Made from 100% sateen cotton, the sheets are designed to feel silky-smooth to the touch while still promoting airflow to help keep trapped heat at bay.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Feb. 2026
The flies will be drawn to the fruit, enter the jar and become trapped.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 21 Feb. 2026
Thorough cleaning is important to prevent microbes and fungi from growing on trapped residue.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 15 Feb. 2026
Verb
The sole survivor of a fiery Cybertruck crash in Piedmont sued Tesla on Tuesday, claiming that design flaws trapped him in a burning vehicle as a rescuer desperately pounded on the window.
—Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026
Witnesses said some people were trapped in their units, banging on windows and doors.
—Allen Devlin, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
An Ohio Ford employee is dead after being trapped and crushed by a malfunctioning industrial machine at a company plant this week.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Observers have also blamed the government for Transnet’s operational failures, arguing that the company is trapped by structural constraints that management alone cannot resolve.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 16 Mar. 2026
Anyone who observes a child or pet trapped in a hot vehicle is urged to call 911.
—City News Service, Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
Firefighters used a ladder to rescue a victim trapped on the second floor.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
Rescue workers from the army and other institutions were working to find any people trapped under the rubble, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
—ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026
The Voice of Hind Rajab Kaouther Ben Hania’s heart-wrenching docudrama is a marvel—a meticulous retelling of the true story of Hind Rajab, the six-year-old Palestinian girl who was trapped inside a car under fire in northern Gaza in January of 2024.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trapped
Adjective
-
Buddhism and Hinduism spread across East and Southeast Asia without it, while many monotheisms—Judaism among them—remained bound to particular peoples.—
Manvir Singh,
New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The Dodgers’ split-squad group that journeyed the 14 miles from Glendale (and ultimately lost to Texas, 7-6) was largely a skeleton crew of Triple-A bound prospects and wannabes.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Instead, gently tease out roots if they’re tangled but keep that familiar soil around them.—
Michelle Mastro,
The Spruce,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Now, my youthful experimentations with this stretchy style weren't exactly camera ready, as it was constantly getting tangled in my thick, wavy hair.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tiller also made an impact as a rim protector and grabbed four offensive rebounds.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Ricks grabbed a knife from the kitchen and began to stab Sanchez multiple times, court records showed.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The video, which surfaced on Instagram around the time of a playoff game between Birdville and Burleson Centennial, used a scene from the 1970s television series Roots that shows an enslaved Black man yielding to a slave master.—
Myah Taylor,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
In September, a photo showing an enslaved man's scarred back from whippings was removed from a national monument in Georgia.—
Aida Mogos,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
At least one person was entrapped in the wreckage, according to the Forney Police Department.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Stevenson insists that the goal of the Legacy Museum is not to present Alabama as irredeemably racist or forever entrapped by its past.—
Clint Smith,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Ahead of the festival, which kicks off Thursday, the De Los team has assembled a list of acts that have caught our attention.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Now, Taiwan is caught in geopolitical limbo.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And some experts worry that as measles continues to appear in confined environments—such as, recently, an ICE facility in Texas—adequate infection-prevention measures will too frequently fall short.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The new tubes solve that problem with an internal divider at the middle of the tube that helps trap the air in a confined chamber.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The investigation also ensnared 34 other individuals and led to 55 violations in total.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
11 Mar. 2026
-
In week two of the biggest military operation of his presidency − a conflict that already has ensnared the Gulf states and NATO − the repercussions of rising oil prices are stoking his biggest political problem at home.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trapped. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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