Synonyms of traps

traps 1 of 2

noun

plural of trap

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

• ambushes
• snares
• nets
• webs
• ruses
• tricks
• deceptions
• entanglements
• hazards
• pitfalls
• snags
• subterfuges
• catches
• entrapments
• land mines
• booby traps
• envelopments
• artifices
• cheats
• enmeshments
• ploys
• duplicities
• double-dealings

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

• ambushes
• ambushments
• attacks
• surprises
• ambuscades
• snares
• assaults
• mousetraps
• sallies
• entrapments
• captures
• charges
• huntings

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

• tangles
• snares
• nets
• webs
• entanglements
• labyrinths
• meshes
• mazes
• toils
• quicksands
• nooses
• quagmires
• morasses
• tanglements
• snarls
• knots
• cobwebs
• spiderwebs
• cat's cradles

4

as in mouths

slang the opening through which food passes into the body of an animal

shut your trap before someone belts you one!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mouths
• chops
• gobs
• jaws
• pieholes
• yaps
• kissers
• mugs
• muzzles
• faces
• mandibles
• visages
• pusses
• countenances
• maws
• maxillae
• gullets

traps

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of trap

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

• tangles
• snares
• entraps
• nets
• ensnares
• meshes
• enmeshes
• entangles
• involves
• captures
• ensnarls
• entoils
• catches up
• collars
• implicates
• bags
• embroils
• mires
• birdlimes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disengages
• detaches
• frees
• disentangles
• liberates
• untangles
• clears
• extricates

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

• grabs
• catches
• lands
• snatches
• snares
• captures
• seizes
• nets
• bags
• gets
• snags
• hooks
• collars
• grapples
• corrals
• raps
• nails
• nabs
• cops
• snaps (up)
• takes hold (of)
• clutches
• nobbles
• gloves
• gloms
• ropes
• arrests
• grasps
• corners
• holds
• grips
• apprehends
• fists
• entraps
• kidnaps
• clasps
• secures
• bays
• ensnares
• detains
• latches (on or onto)
• meshes
• lassos
• enmeshes
• halters
• abducts
• fastens (on)
• entangles
• rends
• spirits (away or off)
• wrests

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• misses
• releases
• frees
• discharges
• liberates
• drops
• loosens
• unhands

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of traps

Noun

Watch the Margaret Todd and other sailboats glide past as lobster boats head out to check their traps. — Morgan Rizzo, Travel + Leisure, 16 Aug. 2026

In an effort to avoid custom-design traps, the Dutch carrier chose an off-the-shelf model from seat manufacturer Stelia that was already flying on sister airline Air France. — Edward Russell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026

The work begins each weekday morning, when members of the 10-person research team head out to collect samples from their daily list of traps. — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026

Beekeepers setting their own traps are encouraged to register to strengthen surveillance. — Charlotte Observer, 11 Aug. 2026

In 1998, voters passed Proposition 4, which banned certain traps and animal poisons for recreational and commercial animal trapping. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026

Using rope, homemade traps, and their chimney, Jason successfully lures a small squirrel with bits of Cassidy’s meat. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Aug. 2026

As the school year started and drivers tiptoed into new routines or back into old ones a couple of theoretical bear traps snapped down this past Tuesday in Cobb County. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 9 Aug. 2026

One stores and processes incoming charge, while another traps electrons to control how quickly the device returns to its original state. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Aug. 2026

Verb

This approach traps companies in incremental optimization, which is building a better version of what already exists instead of building genuinely new things that customers could not have asked for yet. — Nataliya Andreychuk, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

The cave was used to film scenes with Polyphemus, the Cyclops who traps Odysseus and his crew in his cave before devouring several of the men. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Lightly mist the floor rather than pouring or soaking, and follow with a microfiber mop that traps dirt without leaving excess moisture behind. — Martha Stewart, 8 Aug. 2026

As each bubble traps more gas, its buoyancy increases until the bubble floats to the surface. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2026

Dropping the voltage just below copper’s reaction threshold transforms the electrode into a metal magnet that selectively traps copper on its surface while letting background salts flow through. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Aug. 2026

Finally, traps need to be maintained, such as replacing the lures, and disposing of the dead insects and/or traps periodically. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 29 July 2026

Both approaches use a structure that traps electrons in a region smaller than the electron’s wavelength. — ArsTechnica, 29 July 2026

Homer’s hero has extramarital affairs with goddesses Circe and Calypso — the latter of whom traps him and forces him to sleep with her each night for seven years. — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 27 July 2026