noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of trapper
Explanation
A trapper is a person who hunts animals using snares or traps. When Europeans first colonized North America, trappers often traded animal furs and skins with Native people. When you imagine a trapper, you may think of Davy Crockett and his famous coonskin cap, made from the skin, fur, and entire tail of a trapped raccoon. Today's trappers may dress differently, but they still hunt or capture animals using a variety of traps. Some trappers work removing garden pests like squirrels and groundhogs, while others hunt for food or fur.
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.
See Examples For:
Instead, within approximately four hours, a licensed trapper arrived, safely captured the animal and removed it from the community.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
First, I had raccoons, which we extracted with help from a trapper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
But back in 1831, he found himself rather hard up in L.A., and took work as a shipbuilder and trapper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2024
Officers would now have a criteria to ensure the angler, hunter or trapper is fulfilling their residency requirement, she said.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 25, 2024
I remembered that Black Star's father was brought to our village by a trapper from Baffin Bay and mated to a Siberian husky.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
With sunset less than an hour away, the trappers give up on Doug and pivot to finding the clutch of kittens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
“In the less-resourced areas, people aren’t hiring trappers as much as in the wealthier areas,” said Christine Wilkinson, lead author of the study and a recent postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2025
The other is the sea otter, which was wiped out of Oregon waters by fur trappers more than 100 years ago.
From Science Daily ● May 21, 2024
The proposal cites people who watch, photograph or listen to wildlife as examples of potential new board members, joining hunters, fishermen and trappers.
From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2024
The third bus was left about halfway out the trail to serve as backcountry shelter for hunters and trappers.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
