entrap

[en-trap]

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verb (used with object), en·trapped, en·trap·ping.

to catch in or as in a trap; ensnare: The hunters used nets to entrap the lion.
to bring unawares into difficulty or danger: He entrapped himself in the web of his own lies.
to lure into performing an act or making a statement that is compromising or illegal.

to draw into contradiction or damaging admission: The questioner entrapped her into an admission of guilt.
Law. to catch by entrapment.

Origin of entrap

From the Middle French word entraper, dating back to 1525–35. See en-¹, trap¹

Related formsen·trap·per, nounen·trap·ping·ly, adverbun·en·trapped, adjective

Synonyms for entrap

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1. capture, snare, trap.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for entrap

entangle, seduce, ensnare, enmesh, entice, implicate, decoy, lure, hook, embroil, inveigle, trick, bag, beguile, allure, trap, tempt, catch, snare, net

Examples from the Web for entrap

Contemporary Examples of entrap

The “Sunday Mirror” says it was in the ‘public interest’ to entrap a Conservative MP in an elaborate sex sting.
U.K. Tabloid Absurdly Claims ‘Public Interest’ Served in Politician’s Sex Sting
Lizzie Crocker
September 30, 2014

Historical Examples of entrap

She has been trying for a long time to entrap him, and you are helping her.
A Forest Hearth: A Romance of Indiana in the Thirties
Charles Major
I was no stranger to the arts by which he thought to entrap myself.
Sir Jasper Carew
Charles James Lever
I've got some fifty Naps by me—tame elephants—that are sure to entrap others.
A Rent In A Cloud
Charles James Lever
I am anxious to see the plan to entrap Chase at once set in operation.
The Expressman and the Detective
Allan Pinkerton
Of all the devices to entrap Augusta, this well-meant trick was the most enticing.
History of the Moravian Church
J. E. Hutton

British Dictionary definitions for entrap

entrap

verb -traps, -trapping or -trapped (tr)

to catch or snare in or as if in a trap
to lure or trick into danger, difficulty, or embarrassment

Derived Formsentrapper, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for entrap

1530s, intrappe, from Old French entraper "trap, catch in a trap;" see en- (1) + trap (v.). Related: Entrapped; entrapping.