ensnare
Americanverb (used with object)
-
ensnares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ensnared,
past participle, past
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ensnaring
present participle
verb
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to catch or trap in a snare
-
to trap or gain power over someone by dishonest or underhand means
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ensnaresimple
-
ensnaressimple
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have ensnaredperfect
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has ensnaredperfect
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am ensnaringprogressive
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are ensnaringprogressive
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is ensnaringprogressive
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have been ensnaringperfect progressive
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has been ensnaringperfect progressive
Past
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ensnaredsimple
-
had ensnaredperfect
-
was ensnaringprogressive
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were ensnaringprogressive
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had been ensnaringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ensnare
Explanation
To ensnare something is to trap it. Instead of using snapping mousetraps, you might try to ensnare the mice in your kitchen and set them free outside. While you can use the verb ensnare to talk about literally catching something in a trap, it's also useful for more figurative kinds of traps. Your French teacher might try to ensnare you in becoming more involved in the French club, or rush hour traffic might ensnare you as you rush to make it to work on time. The word combines the prefix en, or "put in," and snare, with its Old Norse root snara, "noose or snare."
Vocabulary lists containing ensnare
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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The Odyssey
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Surviving Hitler
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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:
Killer whales are highly intelligent apex predators and have been known to play with their prey and deploy sophisticated tactics to ensnare them.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security awarded a contract to a company that makes a drone with massive nets to ensnare other drones.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
"Jeffrey had a habit of trying to ensnare people into his delusional world," she added.
From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2025
The law is so broad and vague that it could ensnare anyone who maintains databases such as Mr. Webb’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025
But as I knelt, the mist seemed to ensnare my body like a sticky shroud, intent on dragging me down.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
The veteran character actor plays a man whose pilfering of a wallet ensnares him in more high-stakes criminality in this elegant autumnal caper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
He introduces the plan and fully ensnares Tóth into the project.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2024
It ensnares boaters and slows the river’s flow, which heightens flood risks and makes an ideal nursery for mosquitoes.
From New York Times ● Nov. 28, 2023
Females spin a web shaped like a slice of pie, pull it taut, then let go the instant an insect strikes, so the web collapses and ensnares her prey.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 19, 2022
His enormous wealth purchases the corrupt—his dark sagacity ensnares the credulous—his daring valour awes the weak.
From Rienzi, Last of the Roman Tribunes by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton
By the time you get your bearings, you’re ensnared in its net.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
He was one of about 200 people ensnared in Operation Catch of the Day, the overwhelming majority of whom had no criminal record.
From Slate ● Apr. 15, 2026
The investigation also appears to have ensnared Abalos's successor in the powerful post of Socialist organisation secretary, Santos Cerdan.
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
High-yield bonds, issued by companies with what are commonly called “junk” credit ratings, have been caught up in the same selloff that has ensnared other corporate credits this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
When the canoes came around a sharp bend, jagged rocks unexpectedly grabbed a hold of one while a tangle of vines and fallen trees ensnared it.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
And now a global energy mess is spiraling and ensnaring more countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
It caused waves in the global car industry, ensnaring several other top carmakers and leading to legal action in multiple countries, including Britain, France, South Korea and the United States.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Victims say soaring scams, weak bank safeguards, and poor recovery expose regulatory gaps in a country where digital banking has outpaced cybercrime checks, ensnaring people across classes.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2025
It turns out that quicksand, known as supersaturated sand, is a real thing around the world, even in Maine, far from the jungle locations where Hollywood has used it to add drama by ensnaring actors.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
Thrashing and growling at the net, trying to rip free, Summer was only ensnaring himself worse.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
