mousetrap

American  

[mous-trap] / ˈmaʊsˌtræp /

noun

1. a trap for mice, especially one consisting of a rectangular wooden base on which a metal spring is mounted.

2. a device, machine, or the like whose structure or function suggests a trap for mice.

3. a device, system, or stratagem for detecting and catching someone in an unauthorized or illegal act.

4. Football. trap.

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verb (used with object)

mousetrapped, mousetrapping

1. Informal.

   1. to trap or snare.

      traffic cops mousetrapping drunken drivers.

   2. to manipulate by devious or clever means; trick or outwit.

      to mousetrap the witness into a contradiction.

2. Football. trap.

idioms

1. build a better mousetrap, to make or offer a superior product.

mousetrap British  

/ ˈmaʊsˌtræp /

noun

1. any trap for catching mice, esp one with a spring-loaded metal bar that is released by the taking of the bait

2. informal cheese of indifferent quality

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Etymology

Origin of mousetrap

First recorded in 1400–50, mousetrap is from late Middle English mous trappe. See mouse, trap ¹

Explanation

A mousetrap is a device for catching or killing mice. If mice have overtaken your home, running around your living room at night and making nests in your silverware drawer, it might be time to get some mousetraps. The most basic type of mousetrap has a metal bar that springs loose when a mouse steps on it and snaps hard enough to kill it. Other mousetraps trap a curious mouse so that you can release it (preferably far away from your house). Mice are tempted into any kind of mousetrap by edible bait like cheese or peanut butter. The word mousetrap was used figuratively in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" to mean a "trick intended to ensnare someone."

Example Sentences

“They say they’re building a better mousetrap to handle more business without laying on additional cost, but you can’t really test that until the business comes,” Seidl said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 30, 2025

But they did have a crucial insight into how to build a better mousetrap.

From Salon • Jul. 6, 2023

"Wagner troops climbed into Bakhmut like rats into a mousetrap," Oleksander Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces, told troops at the Bakhmut front this week.

From Reuters • May 20, 2023

But those trying to take advantage could end up in a legal mousetrap.

From New York Times • Dec. 28, 2022

Each time I would hear the kitchen door click shut behind me and I would almost turn back, it sounded so metallic, like a mousetrap or a weapon, but I would not turn back.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• appeal to
• attract
• captivate
• charm
• dare
• fascinate
• induce
• intrigue
• invite
• motivate
• persuade
• seduce
• stimulate
• tantalize
• woo