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 entrapped

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 entrapped

Contemporary Examples of entrapped

There may be no entrapped pool of human talent left on earth with the dollar value of Cuban athletes.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind
Brin-Jonathan Butler
December 19, 2014
On a 1957 trip to Moscow, Alsop was entrapped by a handsome young KGB spy and the incident was caught on camera.
Gay Men and the Presidents Who Loved Them
James Kirchick
June 24, 2014
She felt claustrophobic, entrapped like an exotic bird, but despite her angst she lacked the courage to leave.
Rita Moreno, SAG Life Achievement Award Winner, Talks Brando, Elvis And West Side Story
Sandra McElwaine
January 15, 2014
Lincoln has entrapped him into arguing not against Lincoln, but against the English language.
David's Bookclub: The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
David Frum
December 11, 2012
At the battle of Salamis, that navy had entrapped and smashed the Persian fleet.
Persian Fire and Rubicon (Full)
David Frum
September 23, 2012

Historical Examples of entrapped

He was entrapped; not taken in open day, with a fair field before him.
Graham's Magazine Vol XXXIII No. 2 August 1848
Various
His anger increased as he thought how he had been entrapped, like a mere child.
Abbe Mouret's Transgression
Emile Zola
The great wonder was, how Wyatt had been entrapped into such a match.
Masterpieces of Mystery
Various
And had he and Shad only entrapped themselves to no good end?
The Vagrant Duke
George Gibbs
The manner in which you entrapped the Prince compels my admiration.
The Destroyer
Burton Egbert Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for entrapped

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 entrapped

entrap

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