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

Governments in the region launched a massive response, including traps, sniffer dogs, drone surveillance and most importantly, sterile flies. — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026 The direct heat helps re-crisp the bottom of the crust, while the lid traps heat, so the cheese and toppings warm through without the crust becoming excessively dry. — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026 The material, called PhosCage, uses phosphate groups as chemical traps to selectively capture uranium from seawater. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026 Anyone could sell out, conveniently and anonymously, creating an institutional autoimmune disease of witch hunts, strategic lies, honey traps, and need-to-know lockdowns. — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026 Speaking with the New York Times in December, Teresa Griffin, a wildlife manager with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, shared that the group traps and releases about 60 beavers a year. — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026 From plates and knives not being clean to flies stuck on traps, health inspectors in Missouri and Kansas found numerous violations at Kansas City-area restaurants last week. — Joseph Hernandez august 31, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026 Watch For The Traps That Skew Your Number A few common traps distort valuations in both directions. — Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 On Wednesday night, the city of South Fulton shared a health alert that the virus had been detected in mosquito traps in three parks and one medical clinic. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026

Verb

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 The state’s score was hurt by its poor air quality, generally considered the worst in the nation due to its mountain range which traps pollution. — Vince Basada, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2026 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

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

Ukraine's State Emergency Service said Tuesday that Russian strikes on Kyiv had killed one person and wounded seven other people since the start of the day, with attacks carried out on the capital's gas stations.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said Tuesday that Russian strikes on Kyiv had killed one person and wounded seven other people since the start of the day, with attacks carried out on the capital’s gas stations.

— Liudas Dapkus, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of attacks

Noun

Sazan is a rugged place—strewn with rocks and tangles of trees, populated by a large colony of rats, and studded with bunkers built by the Marxist dictator Enver Hoxha to defend against an imaginary invasion.

— Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Alice and her old friend Danny (Scoot McNairy, outstanding, like everyone else), who is still a New York cop, work through professional and personal tangles.

— Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of tangles

Noun

Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s ongoing satirical series at first appalled many viewers with its resolute political incorrectness and penchant for four-letter words from the mouths of babes, and that was nowhere more evident than in Cartman himself.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026
Young children explore the world by touching, tasting and putting things in their mouths.

— Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 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

During his research, Atan came here for a coffee and stayed for the artisans rolling tobacco and weaving fishing nets.

— Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Sep. 2026
Where canoes once rested beside fishing nets drying in the sun, housing developments and new infrastructure have appeared.

— Sebastián López Brach, The Dial, 15 Sep. 2026