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

Trapped ions, as the name suggests, are suspended in vacuums and manipulated by lasers.

From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026

Trapped in a medical limbo, she took a nurse friend’s advice and began writing everything down.

From Salon • May 27, 2026

Trapped indoors, Mary Shelley began to write “Frankenstein.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Trapped on a cliff with no apparent escape, Newman suggests they jump.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2025

Trapped in the bog of a story that was and wasn’t theirs.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

Related Words

• captured
• cornered