trap

[ trap ]

/ træp /

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See synonyms for: trap / trapped / trapping on Thesaurus.com

noun

a contrivance used for catching game or other animals, as a mechanical device that springs shut suddenly.

any device, stratagem, trick, or the like for catching a person unawares.

any of various devices for removing undesirable substances from a moving fluid, vapor, etc., as water from steam or cinders from coal gas.

Also called air trap . an arrangement in a pipe, as a double curve or a U-shaped section, in which liquid remains and forms a seal for preventing the passage or escape of air or of gases through the pipe from behind or below.

traps, the percussion instruments of a jazz or dance band.

Trapshooting, Skeet. a device for hurling clay pigeons into the air.

the piece of wood, shaped somewhat like a shoe hollowed at the heel, and moving on a pivot, used in playing the game of trapball.

the game of trapball.

trapdoor.

Sports. an act or instance of trapping a ball.

Also called mousetrap, trap play .Football. a play in which a defensive player, usually a guard or tackle, is allowed by the team on offense to cross the line of scrimmage into the backfield and is then blocked out from the side, thereby letting the ball-carrier run through the opening in the line.

Slang. mouth: Keep your trap shut.

Chiefly British. a carriage, especially a light, two-wheeled one.

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

to catch in a trap; ensnare: to trap foxes.

to catch by stratagem, artifice, or trickery.

to furnish or set with traps.

to provide (a drain or the like) with a trap.

to stop and hold by a trap, as air in a pipe.

Sports. to catch (a ball) as it rises after having just hit the ground.

Football. to execute a trap against (a defensive player).

verb (used without object), trapped, trap·ping.

to set traps for game: He was busy trapping.

to engage in the business of trapping animals for their furs.

Trapshooting, Skeet. to work the trap.

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Origin of trap

First recorded before 1000; Middle English trappe (noun), trappen (verb), Old English træppe (noun), cognate with Middle Dutch trappe (Dutch trap) “trap, step, staircase”; akin to Old English treppan “to tread,” German Treppe “staircase”

synonym study for trap

1, 2. Trap , pitfall , snare apply to literal or figurative contrivances for deceiving and catching animals or people. Literally, a trap is a mechanical contrivance for catching animals, the main feature usually being a spring: a trap baited with cheese for mice. Figuratively, trap suggests the scheme of one person to take another by surprise and thereby gain an advantage: a trap for the unwary. A pitfall is (usually) a concealed pit arranged for the capture of large animals or of people who may fall into it; figuratively, it is any concealed danger, error, or source of disaster: to avoid the pitfalls of life. A snare is a device for entangling birds, rabbits, etc., with intent to capture; figuratively, it implies enticement and inveiglement: the temptress' snare.

OTHER WORDS FROM trap

traplike, adjective

Definition for trap (2 of 4)

trap²

[ trap ]

/ træp /

noun

traps, Informal. personal belongings; baggage.

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

to furnish with or as with trappings; caparison.

Origin of trap

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English trappe (noun), trappen (verb); of unknown origin

Definition for trap (3 of 4)

trap³

[ trap ]

/ træp /

noun Geology.

any of various fine-grained, dark-colored igneous rocks having a more or less columnar structure, especially some form of basalt.

Also called traprock.

Origin of trap

First recorded in 1785–95; from Swedish trapp, variant of trappa “stair” (so named from the stepped appearance of their outcrops), from Middle Low German trappe; see trap¹

Definition for trap (4 of 4)

trap⁴

[ trap ]

/ træp /

noun Scot.

a ladder or ladderlike device used to reach a loft, attic, etc.

Origin of trap

⁴

First recorded in 1750–60; from Dutch: “stepladder”; see trap¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for trap

He was able to pick apart those power plays in the third quarter because of the ineffective traps Los Angeles tried throwing onto Murray, who had dropped 20 points in the second quarter alone.
When It Comes To Playoff Disappointment, The Clippers Are In A League Of Their Own|Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com)|September 16, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Setting traps can be a useful backup strategy for nourishment in a survival situation, and it frees up your time to accomplish other tasks.
This essential survival tool can save your life 10 different ways|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|September 15, 2020|Popular Science
I spent the next day digging holes, setting traps, and walking the trap line.
How to hunt for star-nosed moles (and their holes)|Kenneth Catania|September 15, 2020|Popular Science
Traps with 4VA attracted more locusts than did traps without the pheromone.
A single chemical may draw lonely locusts into a hungry swarm|Jonathan Lambert|September 7, 2020|Science News For Students

They might even be able to use those scents to bait the insects into traps.
A single chemical may draw lonely locusts into a hungry swarm|Jonathan Lambert|September 7, 2020|Science News For Students
Everybody is trapped in an elevator together and tempers run a little hot.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But when I look out over the crowd now, I also see that they are trapped—trapped by their cowardice.
Random Hook-Ups or Dry Spells: Why Millennials Flunk College Dating|Ellie Schaack|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Imagine living 28 years—your whole life—trapped inside the wrong body.
The Insurance Company Promised a Gender Reassignment. Then They Made a Mistake.|James Joiner|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When I saw the fire in the restaurant, I ran down to the floor below, where I was trapped between flames above and below.
‘We’re Going to Die’: Survivors Recount Greek Ferry Fire Horror|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was definitely concerned [about former colleagues who may have been trapped inside].
CNN's Overnight Sydney Star|Lloyd Grove|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To the weakness resulting from loss of blood was added the knowledge that this time he was trapped without hope of escape.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
It was his firm belief that if he, Randulf, had been at home, they should never have trapped Jacob Worse.
Skipper Worse|Alexander Lange Kielland
Fool that he had been to come to Condillac that day, and to be trapped thus in her company, a partner in her guilt.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
Whereon the man looked swiftly over his shoulder and saw that he was fairly trapped.
A Prince of Cornwall|Charles W. Whistler
The arena was crowded with British and Indian cavalry, handsomely trapped in gold and red velvet.
Ways of War and Peace|Delia Austrian

British Dictionary definitions for trap (1 of 3)

trap¹

/ (træp) /

noun

a mechanical device or enclosed place or pit in which something, esp an animal, is caught or penned

any device or plan for tricking a person or thing into being caught unawares

anything resembling a trap or prison

a fitting for a pipe in the form of a U-shaped or S-shaped bend that contains standing water to prevent the passage of gases

any similar device

a device that hurls clay pigeons into the air to be fired at by trapshooters

any one of a line of boxlike stalls in which greyhounds are enclosed before the start of a race

See trap door

a light two-wheeled carriage

a slang word for mouth

golf an obstacle or hazard, esp a bunker

(plural) jazz slang percussion instruments

(usually plural) Australian obsolete, slang a policeman

verb traps, trapping or trapped

(tr) to catch, take, or pen in or as if in a trap; entrap

(tr) to ensnare by trickery; trick

(tr) to provide (a pipe) with a trap

to set traps in (a place), esp for animals

Derived forms of trap

traplike, adjective

Word Origin for trap

Old English træppe; related to Middle Low German trappe, Medieval Latin trappa

British Dictionary definitions for trap (2 of 3)

trap²

/ (træp) /

noun

an obsolete word for trappings (def. 2)

verb traps, trapping or trapped

(tr often foll by out) to dress or adorn

Word Origin for trap

C11: probably from Old French drap cloth

British Dictionary definitions for trap (3 of 3)

trap³

traprock

/ (træp) /

noun

any fine-grained often columnar dark igneous rock, esp basalt

any rock in which oil or gas has accumulated

Word Origin for trap

C18: from Swedish trappa stair (from its steplike formation); see trap 1

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

Idioms and Phrases with trap

trap

see fall into a trap; mind like a steel trap.

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WORD OF THE DAY

trap

noun

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

verb (used without object), trapped, trap·ping.