TRAPS Synonyms: 136 Similar and Opposite Words

traps 1 of 2

noun

Definition of traps

plural of trap

as in ambushes

a device or scheme for capturing another by surprise undercover agents devised a trap to catch the counterfeiters a bear trap

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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

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as in tangles

something that catches and holds the promotion is really just a trap to keep her from taking a new job elsewhere

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as in mouths

slang the opening through which food passes into the body of an animal shut your trap before someone belts you one!

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traps

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of trap

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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 traps

Noun

Sacramento County Health Inspectors gave a red placard to Wienerschnitzel in Natomas after finding 33 German cockroaches in various areas of the facility including on the floor beneath the ice machine and on three glue traps. — Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026 Given mink’s reputation as escape artists, wildlife experts set up traps around infected farms. — Nat Lash, ProPublica, 23 Oct. 2026 The traps that Brooks makes are selling for $180 now, versus $130 two years ago. — Megan Cassella, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026 Overnight hosting mistakes to avoid Three traps catch even experienced hosts. — Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026 These traps kill rats, but also gather information about movements and population sizes, according to the health district. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 16 Oct. 2026 Destructive storms like Hurricane Milton in 2024, which made landfall on Florida’s west coast at Siesta Key, can destroy traps, make the water murky and otherwise cause complications for fishermen. — Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026 The snack bag’s silica gel packet gave him the idea for DryOut, a multilayer material that pulls water away from a device, absorbs and traps it, then lets moisture evaporate when exposed to sunlight so it can be reused. — Hannah Singleton, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 Traditional blade-style traps deliver strong performance but require manual assembly, making consistent reproduction difficult. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026

Verb

These microbes formed biopolymers that soaked the sand, creating a mesh that traps nearby particles. — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026 This loop traps us, backfilling saved time with even more low-value complexity rather than freeing up space for deep thinking. — Stephanie Kramer, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026 Once the festivities get rolling, though, ferociously bad weather rolls in and traps them there for the foreseeable future. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026 During sunny and warm summer days, the atmosphere becomes incredibly stable, Macaday said, and in turn traps pollutants from car exhausts, ground-level ozone and pollen in the bowl. — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026 After all there’s nothing very funny about an incurable disease that traps you inside your body. — Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026 Harming any of these beings results in negative karma, which further traps souls in samsara. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2026 Avoid liquid fabric softener and dryer sheets when washing towels, as these products leave a coating that makes towels less absorbent and traps odor-causing bacteria in the fibers. — Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2026 How else would Boyle set up the harrowing — and very clever — sequence in which Airi has to wake herself up before an evil force traps her in the spirit world forever? — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 23 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for traps

Noun

With roads around the hospital unsafe, transferring patients to other facilities was not an option in the first hours of the attack, while sending ambulances into the field risked exposing them to Hamas ambushes.

— Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Social Media Capture The underlying tactic is not new, with both Russian and Ukrainian forces having previously used armed FPV drones to conduct roadside ambushes.

— Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of ambushes

Noun

In his statement, Dan also blamed Russia for a spate of attacks in recent weeks on civilian maritime transport in the Black Sea, which has left at least three people dead and has raised fears of an escalation in Russia's war against Ukraine.

— STEPHEN McGRATH, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
The bomber could potentially conduct electronic attacks alongside its existing weapons operations, reducing its dependence on specialized escort aircraft in certain scenarios.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of attacks

Noun

The shampoo didn’t strip the tester’s already-dry hair, and a two-minute conditioner left her tangles smooth enough to finger-comb.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026
The brain’s surface has ridges and valleys, and CTE tangles are found in the depths of those valleys, called the cortical sulci, and surround blood vessels.

— Alexandra Pattillo, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of tangles

Verb

The hallmarks of the Navy Blue sound are present—barely-there snares keeping time in the distance, string samples melting into reflective puddles, overtones from resonant piano lines.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 10 June 2026
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

Definition of snares

Verb

Why the ridiculous prices are worth it Bob Baffert grabs a water out of a nearby cooler to keep the searing heat and humidity at bay.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
Illinois center Tomislav Ivišić grabs a rebound past UConn forward Jayden Ross during the first half of their Final Four game on April 4, 2026, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

— Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of grabs

Noun

Experts found that the use of foam boards, non-fire-retardant scaffolding nets and canvases contributed to the fire's spread, the report said.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
Among the shortcomings were the lack of proper investigations into the use of the foam boards and the fire-retardant quality of the scaffolding nets despite multiple complaints.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026