trapped

American

[trapt] / træpt /

adjective

caught in or as if in a trap or by a ruse, trick, or stratagem.

Relocate any trapped rabbit at least five miles from the capture site.
Early in the visit I became the trapped witness to a nasty argument between my host and his wife, which they expected me to arbitrate.
(of air, water, etc.) held or contained in an enclosed space or in another substance.

Make sure the clay is pressed flat, with no trapped air bubbles.
accidentally stuck or jammed in a narrow place from which release is difficult.

This excellent telescopic ladder has finger guards—no more trapped fingers when letting it down!
set with traps.

We followed the track carefully through heavily trapped bush to the meeting place.
(of a drain, pipe, or the like) furnished with a device for stopping undesirable substances from flowing through.

The pipes discharge wastewater into a sewer, usually through a trapped drain.
Baseball. (of a ball) caught as it hits the ground.

Challenges to the umpire included a trapped ball in the outfield that nobody else thought was actually caught.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of trap

Etymology

Origin of trapped

First recorded in 1425–75; trap ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; trap ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

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.

“The material from the Middle East is trapped in the region, so this gives an opportunity for North America to actually start exporting polypropylene,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Earlier, the interior ministry published on X that 40 firefighters responded to an emergency at the stadium "involving people trapped in a structure".

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

A joint statement by UN experts in May said that "hundreds of thousands of people of various nationalities are trapped and forced to carry out online fraud".

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

There are people who find themselves trapped in organized crime and unfortunately, the rate of people getting out once they’re in is low.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

“Then you’ll be trapped within the tree,” Leigh said.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023