TRAPPED Synonyms: 96 Similar and Opposite Words

trapped 1 of 2

adjective

as in bound

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Dissimilar Words

trapped

2 of 2

verb

past tense of trap

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

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

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

Adjective

The driver managed to escape with one dog while another remained trapped inside, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026 Both buyers and sellers remain trapped in a wait and see stance, further dragging on a US housing market that has been stagnant for nearly four years. — CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026 These damp materials remain trapped in the folds and never fully dry, creating the perfect warm, moist environment for microbial growth. — Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Sep. 2026 For example, standard plastics, composites, sealants, and lubricants manufactured on Earth will release trapped gases and volatile compounds, and rapidly degrade in Mars' near-vacuum. — New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2026 As the Covid-19 pandemic set in, and millions of Americans became trapped in their homes with no access to mommy-and-me events, toddler classes, or respite, Accurso’s channel hit 1 million subscribers. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026 Cool the loaf completely before storing to prevent trapped moisture, which can lead to sogginess or mold. — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2026 Video posted by Only in Dade showed rescuers pulling trapped workers from the wreckage. — Manuel Bojorquez, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026 That could reduce trapped cash, simplify cross-border operations and give finance teams far more precise control over working capital. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Verb

Key indicators that your current setup is failing include noticeable air currents that can be felt from across the room, as well as condensation or moisture trapped between the glass panes. — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026 This is a person who’s really isolated herself, who has run from love, who has thought of love as a trap, and who has done everything in her power not to be trapped. — Max Gao, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026 An Oregon man who was trapped under a boulder about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle used his wireless earbuds to place a call for help, the police and the man’s mother said. — Ishani Desai, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 Escarpments were carved into beaches, asphalt rippled on the coastal highway, and tourists like Lester were left trapped. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2026 Rachelle also recalled vividly the experience of being trapped inside the vehicle in the river. — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 Emergency crews in Sea Bright, New Jersey, rescued a woman and her dog after their vehicle became trapped in floodwaters, ABC7 reported. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026 Baltimore County firefighters rescued a child who was trapped in the basement during a house fire Sunday afternoon in Loch Raven. — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026 Some people were trapped inside vehicles, while another was tossed out into an intersection. — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for trapped

Adjective

The team checked this directly by computing how much of each galaxy's baryon budget actually stayed bound to the system.

— Paul Sutter, Space.com, 9 June 2026
To help calculate a lower bound, Erdős assumed that the points would be laid out in a grid.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026

Definition of bound

Verb

With Indiana holding a 90-79 lead late in the final period, Wilson got tangled up on the hardwood with Fever guard Sophie Cunningham following a physical foul.

— Alejandro Avila , Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Pawlikowski’s mother and father, also named Zula and Wiktor, whose unmanageable love had kept them tangled and disentangled for decades, took their own lives in 1989, as the Cold War that had cast its chill upon their time was beginning to thaw.

— Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of tangled

Verb

Ross also grabbed the woman by her ponytail and slammed her against the wall, causing injuries to her face and lip, according to the report.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Israel, Iranian analysts have noted, grabbed territory in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Syria after October 7 and argued that doing so was essential for its security.

— Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of grabbed

Adjective

The Southern economy was underpinned by ports that traded in cotton, rice, sugar, tobacco – and enslaved people.

— Ashley Walters, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
Was the prevailing idea that enslaved people were sweet and innocent and docile and as giving and forgiving as Uncle Tom?

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of enslaved

Verb

All five men who were arrested after authorities said they were caught approaching the base in three vans shortly after midnight Sunday have been released on bail but remain under investigation.

— Greg Miller, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Mosley, who caught 13 passes for 255 yards and four touchdowns in his first three collegiate games, has missed USC’s past two games.

— Sean Campbell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of caught

Adjective

That gave the team an additional visual reference during one of neurosurgery’s most confined operating environments.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Sewers can contain numerous hazards, including noxious and potentially deadly gases, unstable surfaces, flooding risks, and confined spaces.

— Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2026

Definition of confined

Verb

But the incumbent faces a tough battle because of an affordability crisis and a corruption scandal that ensnared the same justice who led the investigation into Bolsonaro.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Partners cannot tell which agreements will be ensnared in the next scandal, which encourages them to hedge.

— MATIAS SPEKTOR, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of ensnared

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trapezists

trapped

trapper

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Style

“Trapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trapped. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of trapped

adjective

verb

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