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
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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
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Recent Examples of traps
Barbara Bellesi Zito, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
Get Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in better spots to handle the traps and give him better passing angles.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
Developed by a team of scientists from the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF), the new filter reportedly traps the fibers shed during everyday laundry.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for traps
Noun
Hang traps around the perimeter of your yard and use liquid insecticide to treat any areas where wasps might congregate to build a nest.
—Barbara Bellesi Zito, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
Get Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in better spots to handle the traps and give him better passing angles.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Verb
Class and society constrain all, and Age of Innocence traps its characters in their gauzy and ornate world.
—Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
Developed by a team of scientists from the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF), the new filter reportedly traps the fibers shed during everyday laundry.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for traps
Recent Examples of Synonyms for traps
Noun
-
Even in areas not under its direct control, the widespread sympathy in rural areas allows JNIM to set up ambushes along the main roads and dominate the main supply routes into the capitals, especially in Mali.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 May 2026
-
Service members could face ambushes en route, and specialized units would need to extract the uranium.—
Jonathan Lemire,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Scratched carpets are buried under tangles of wires and computing gear.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
-
This can happen due to your natural hair texture, dryness, or environmental stressors like wind, friction from your pillowcase, or pollution—your cuticles can catch on each other like Velcro, Small says, causing tangles.—
Sarah Felbin,
Allure,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The fish have been found in the gills and cloacal openings of whale sharks and the mouths of lemon sharks.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
11 May 2026
-
The next time Draymond Green — who wasn’t half the basketball player that Charles Barkley was — smart-mouths Barkley on television, Sir Charles should remind everybody of the time Green was enough of a chucklehead to cost the Warriors one more title.—
Mike Lupica,
New York Daily News,
9 May 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
-
Fans start to notice what's happening about five seconds into it, and then another man comes up behind the fan, grabs him and tackles him into the seats.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
-
And if no candidate grabs a majority in either of those races, this district’s voters might have to go to the polls four times.—
East Bay Times editorial board,
Mercury News,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
In recent years, a litany of violent, seemingly unprovoked attacks across Metro led to the deaths or severe injury of several passengers—a confirmation of Angelenos’ worst fears about the system.—
Oren Peleg,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
Earlier this week the United Nations blasted Israel over its strikes killing healthcare workers, saying the World Health Organization has recorded 151 such attacks resulting in 103 deaths and 230 injuries.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
The Spanish rescuer checks the living quarters for survivors, and peers inside the ships’ containers to see two filled with trash, fishing nets and other equipment, according to the video.—
Pau Mosquera,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
-
It’s dotted by trabocchi, wooden fishing huts with nets that get lowered into the sea to catch fish, many of which have been converted into restaurants that serve the catch of the day.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
Travel + Leisure,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
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 16 May. 2026.
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