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

The former—a dark blue microfiber on the outer part of the cloth—breaks up bigger pieces of grime, while the light blue microfiber on the inner part traps and absorbs dirt. — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2026

Jigsaw has found the next filmmaker to set up his twisted traps. — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026

To date, the Wildlife Alliance in this region has removed about 350,000 traps, contributing to an uptick in the numbers of these vulnerable and endangered animals. — Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

But there are traps in believing too heavily in how the script of former episodes is due to repeat. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026

For their final lesson, a volunteer — who isn't Woodside or Priest — traps the raccoons in cages, scaring them enough to encourage them to avoid traps and humans. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026

Locking the lid traps excess steam inside, altering how the appliance functions. — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2026

In July, airport officials set traps around the property to contain the malaria outbreak, The Sun reported. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Commercial anglers are required to have the colors of the buoys attached to their traps and displayed on their vessels visible from the water and air. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026

Verb

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

To store a qubit's state, the qubit transfers the information to a resonator, a container that traps a wave, where it's held as either zero or one microwave photon bouncing back and forth until the qubit takes it back. — New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2026

The elevation differences cause temperature inversions, where the warm air traveling over the ridges traps the cooler air closer to the ground, along with the smog and pollution. — Daliah Singer, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

For their final lesson, a volunteer — who isn't Woodside or Priest — traps the raccoons in cages, scaring them enough to encourage them to avoid traps and humans. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026

When a rockslide traps them on a narrow plank 4,000 feet up, Jax must face her fears to survive. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2026

But the heat dome, an area of high pressure that traps warm air beneath it, isn’t just sending temperatures soaring. — Tyler Ory, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026

Nestling them together traps enough steam to help the interiors soften before the potatoes shrink slightly, giving them room to brown. — Rick Martinez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026