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

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

When a frozen body appears, and a snowstorm traps everyone inside, the deaths begin to mount. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2026

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