ensnare
Americanverb (used with object)
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ensnares,
present (3rd person singular)
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ensnared,
past participle, past
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ensnaring
present participle
verb
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to catch or trap in a snare
-
to trap or gain power over someone by dishonest or underhand means
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ensnaresimple
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ensnaressimple
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have ensnaredperfect
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has ensnaredperfect
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am ensnaringprogressive
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are ensnaringprogressive
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is ensnaringprogressive
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have been ensnaringperfect progressive
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has been ensnaringperfect progressive
Past
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ensnaredsimple
-
had ensnaredperfect
-
was ensnaringprogressive
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were ensnaringprogressive
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had been ensnaringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ensnare
Explanation
To ensnare something is to trap it. Instead of using snapping mousetraps, you might try to ensnare the mice in your kitchen and set them free outside. While you can use the verb ensnare to talk about literally catching something in a trap, it's also useful for more figurative kinds of traps. Your French teacher might try to ensnare you in becoming more involved in the French club, or rush hour traffic might ensnare you as you rush to make it to work on time. The word combines the prefix en, or "put in," and snare, with its Old Norse root snara, "noose or snare."
Vocabulary lists containing ensnare
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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The Odyssey
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Surviving Hitler
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The states suing Meta claimed it used its platforms "to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens," and ignored the damage they did to the "mental and physical wellbeing of America's youth".
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Once the envy of China's tech scene, the startup behind the artificial intelligence agent tool Manus has become an example of how rivalry between global powers can ensnare young entrepreneurs' ambitions.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Experts say the resources are limited and oil majors may not clamor for leases that could ensnare them in the Golden State’s stringent environmental policies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2025
The law is so broad and vague that it could ensnare anyone who maintains databases such as Mr. Webb’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025
I thought Beetee would bring him, not for his technological expertise, but in the hopes that he could somehow think of a way to ensnare a mountain.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
The production, co-created and directed by Moisés Kaufman, throbs with lip-synchable pop hits of such eclectic range that the dance club energy eventually ensnares everybody.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2024
For Myriam Gurba, fog is a condition that disorients and ensnares.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2023
Once stuck, they can be subjected to all manner of embarrassments — such as when the girls’ target is their father — or pleaded with to share, as when Bingo ensnares Bluey.
From New York Times ● Aug. 25, 2022
Females spin a web shaped like a slice of pie, pull it taut, then let go the instant an insect strikes, so the web collapses and ensnares her prey.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 19, 2022
A little pleasure or commodity is the bait that ensnares us to this.
From The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning by Hugh Binning
By the time you get your bearings, you’re ensnared in its net.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
He was one of about 200 people ensnared in Operation Catch of the Day, the overwhelming majority of whom had no criminal record.
From Slate ● Apr. 15, 2026
The investigation also appears to have ensnared Abalos's successor in the powerful post of Socialist organisation secretary, Santos Cerdan.
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
The fake-police scam has ensnared tens of thousands of people in India, authorities say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
One rope ensnared Grigori around the chest as he lunged for me, yanking him back.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
It caused waves in the global car industry, ensnaring several other top carmakers and leading to legal action in multiple countries, including Britain, France, South Korea and the United States.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Enforcement is strict, even ensnaring a state biologist a few years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
Victims say soaring scams, weak bank safeguards, and poor recovery expose regulatory gaps in a country where digital banking has outpaced cybercrime checks, ensnaring people across classes.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2025
As research for his dissertation turns to investigation, it ripples back to the 1950 TB epidemic and forward, ensnaring in its wake Reykdal, reluctant witnesses and the detectives on the case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2024
Thrashing and growling at the net, trying to rip free, Summer was only ensnaring himself worse.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
