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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

The team is analyzing microplastics painstakingly collected from plants, rocks, water samples and sticky traps erected along the shoreline. — Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026 This kit makes both jobs simple with tools for cleaning up to 15-foot vents with flexible rods, specialty brushes that fit inside lint traps, and tweezers to reach into all the nooks and crannies. — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026 The unofficial course focused on prisoner’s dilemmas, multipolar traps, and readings by Peter Thiel and Paul Graham. — Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026 Inspectors also found five to 10 dead cockroaches inside monitoring traps. — Sacbee.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Raman effortlessly turned the mayor’s rhetorical traps around like Bugs Bunny twisting Elmer Fudd’s rifle right in his face. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 In Maine, lobstermen have seen their bait supply tighten, leaving them to fill traps with pig hides and frozen fish, whatever will hold on a hook. — Mark Robichaux, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2026 The performance of the founding team will likely determine whether the institution manages to escape bureaucratic traps or reconstitute them under a new name. — Jennifer Pahlka, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 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

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for traps

Noun

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
Stassi is no stranger to an ambush; one of her most iconic Vanderpump Rules scenes remains one of the best ambushes reality TV’s ever seen.

— Caroline Framke, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of ambushes

Noun

The development comes as the global shipping industry contends with attacks around the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, higher energy prices, and sharply reduced traffic through some of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.

— Joshua Hong, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
The move follows months of Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries and logistics hubs that have disrupted fuel supplies and online commerce, deepening economic strain and public frustration as Russia’s war enters its fifth year.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of attacks

Noun

Its windows framed the skyline through tangles of dark, leathery holm-oak leaves and, disorientingly, thick tree trunks rooted in enormous planters and secured against storms by vertical cables.

— Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Supply chains in many industries are full of tangles, but for semiconductor tech, that’s putting it lightly.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of tangles

Noun

Finding bodies with their heads removed, bricks in their mouths, or – as in this case – a sickle pointing at their throat, automatically earns suspicion as a vampire.

— Mike McRae August 25, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
During the protest, participants wore wedding dresses, duct-taped their mouths and chained their wrists on the Capitol steps to call on lawmakers to pass the measure.

— Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of mouths

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

Noun

Some nets come in pairs rather than individually, while others include extras such as soccer balls or cones.

— BestReviews, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Then there is Anunoby, who played at Indiana where basketball nets hang on barns and until Curt Cignetti arrived in Bloomington, football season mostly meant preseason hoops season.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026