Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for mousetrap. Search instead for mousetrapped.
Synonyms

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.

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of mousetrap

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

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.

“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

He had supposedly built a better mousetrap, and the world had indeed beaten a path to his door.

From Washington Post • Dec. 16, 2022

He just lifted the box and pulled the spring mechanism of the mousetrap back until it clicked into place again.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

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.