as in bound
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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
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
Terri Williams, Architectural Digest, 3 Nov. 2025
The dog became trapped on a ledge about 40 feet down the cliff, firefighters said in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2025
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
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
Edge to edge cleaning provided a thorough dust and dirt removal process, and there were no tangles thanks to the detangling brush, which eliminated the need to stop and remove trapped hair.
—Terri Williams, Architectural Digest, 3 Nov. 2025
The dog became trapped on a ledge about 40 feet down the cliff, firefighters said in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2025
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
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
-
Democrats are currently so desperate for strong male role models to promote as candidates that they’re all tangled up over whether a burly Maine oysterman’s Nazi-symbol tattoo is defensible.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Nothing twisted or tangled together during the drying process.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 Nov. 2025
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
-
Two copies of a poetry book by formerly enslaved poet Phillis Wheatley are bound in human skin and housed in Cincinnati.—
Cameron Knight,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
31 Oct. 2025
-
In Marx’s terms, enslaved workers actually represent variable capital in the production process.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Sep. 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,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Police previously said a 2011 Infiniti G37 sedan crashed on the I-30 service road and caught fire.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Seniors Caroline Gamez and Mee Muldoon said this year’s trail is more confined — exclusively in the theater department — and hopefully spookier.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 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 17 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share