1
as in ambushes
a device or scheme for capturing another by surprise
undercover agents devised a trap to catch the counterfeiters a bear trap
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in ambushments
a setup in which hidden attackers lie in wait
an overland route to the Far East that was once notorious for the many robbers who laid traps for unsuspecting wayfarers
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in tangles
something that catches and holds
the promotion is really just a trap to keep her from taking a new job elsewhere
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in snares
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 grabs
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
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Recent Examples of traps
Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 16 Apr. 2026
What is gained through shutting our traps for a couple of hours?
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 9 Apr. 2026
The latter traps your body heat by reducing internal air space.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for traps
Noun
The Moon’s polar cold traps, including Shackleton, are attractive targets for future exploration.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 16 Apr. 2026
What is gained through shutting our traps for a couple of hours?
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
Your Dishwasher Filter A clogged dishwasher filter traps food particles, causes unpleasant odors and can actually make your dishes come out less clean.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 9 Apr. 2026
The latter traps your body heat by reducing internal air space.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for traps
Recent Examples of Synonyms for traps
Noun
-
Service members could face ambushes en route, and specialized units would need to extract the uranium.—
Jonathan Lemire,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Once an octopus ambushes and bites its prey, the venom in its saliva paralyzes the prey, allowing the octopus to consume it.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The microfiber-esque texture, Dyson says, allows for the cones to pick up hair without tangles.—
Adam Campbell-Schmitt,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
13 Apr. 2026
-
But his Hamlet needs a stalwart supporting cast with whom to spar, and Ahmed tangles beautifully with Shakespeare veteran Timothy Spall, who plays Laertes’ father and family adviser Polonius, and Morfydd Clark as a steely but vulnerable Ophelia.—
Katie Walsh,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Jokic is not competing against the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards — though both will leave mouths agape over the next two weeks.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Much of this falls into the body horror realm, but there are also multiple moments where characters vomit or have insects crawl into, or come out of, their mouths.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Hair snares use tape and wire to collect DNA and other data by collecting a sample of wild animal hair when creatures pass by, according to Popular Science.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Maybe Deandre Ayton snares his first signature Lakers moment.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Ebuehi starts to drive away as the officer reaches out and grabs Ebuehi and the scooter.—
Naveen Dhaliwal,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The zookeeper grabs him and delivers the line of the year.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Both Hezbollah and Israel have have defended their attacks and claimed that the other has violated the ceasefire.—
Sarah Dean,
NBC news,
25 Apr. 2026
-
While disrupting the business of an American multinational company may seem a pallid response to the destruction of an Iranian primary school where more than a hundred children were killed, such asymmetric attacks in the physical and digital realms have been a feature of this conflict.—
Sue Halpern,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Deliveries for the regular-season games that aired on the Disney nets were up 30% to 760,000 viewers per window.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The region is saturated with mines, fortifications, anti-drone nets, and thoroughly depopulated amid the fiercest fighting in Europe since World War II.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This superb thriller about an obsessed fan (Kathy Bates) who rescues, and then entraps, a best-selling author (James Caan) still stands as an edge-of-your-seat experience.—
Julie Hinds,
Freep.com,
15 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Traps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/traps. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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