trapped

American  

[trapt] / træpt /

adjective

1. 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.

2. (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.

3. 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!

4. set with traps.

   We followed the track carefully through heavily trapped bush to the meeting place.

5. (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.

6. 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.

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verb

1. 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

See Examples For:

trapped

Rescuers began pumping air into a tunnel over the weekend, but the families of those trapped say that should have been done earlier.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

No contact has yet been made with any of those feared trapped, but the government says more than 100 workers may still be alive inside multiple tunnels.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

More than 4,700 people are missing, many of them hydropower project workers trapped by dozens of feet of mud in lengthy mountain tunnels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

Wiener said both bills are important for helping individuals and communities “to not be trapped in the monopoly utility model that is so expensive.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

There hasn’t been prey anywhere near my hole in the days I’ve been trapped here, no real rain, either.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Related Words

• captured
• cornered