ensnare
Americanverb (used with object)
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ensnares,
present (3rd person singular)
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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
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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:
The states suing Meta claimed it used its platforms "to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens," and ignored the damage they did to the "mental and physical wellbeing of America's youth".
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
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
Experts say the resources are limited and oil majors may not clamor for leases that could ensnare them in the Golden State’s stringent environmental policies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 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
I thought Beetee would bring him, not for his technological expertise, but in the hopes that he could somehow think of a way to ensnare a mountain.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
He introduces the plan and fully ensnares Tóth into the project.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2024
The production, co-created and directed by Moisés Kaufman, throbs with lip-synchable pop hits of such eclectic range that the dance club energy eventually ensnares everybody.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2024
Quite the contrary: It is a chronicle of how their hoop dreams are deferred at nearly every turn, and of how the big-money machinery of institutional basketball cares little for the people it ensnares.
From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2023
It includes cutting red tape that ensnares energy projects, lifting restrictions for on- and offshore-lease sales, and offering support for the industry to promote new investments and production.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 15, 2022
Over one of these bits of white paper, whose wings still beat though the mud ensnares them, I stoop slightly and read a sentence—"My dear Henry, what a fine day it is for your birthday!"
From Under Fire: the story of a squad by Fitzwater Wray
None of the council members directly addressed the question of why they did not pressure Wang to resign as it became clear she was ensnared in her former fiance’s criminal case.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 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 that ultimately ensnared Hernández stretched across several U.S. presidencies.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2026
The case has gripped local media in a country that is still sensitive to elite corruption scandals after the so-called Lava Jato fraud probe from 2014 to 2021 ensnared dozens of senior politicians and executives.
From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 2026
He felt ensnared in a tangle of deep shadows, shadows as black as the night that stretched above his head.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
Enforcement is strict, even ensnaring a state biologist a few years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
It caused waves in the global car industry, ensnaring several other top carmakers and leading to legal action in several countries.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025
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
In these close quarters, I was unable to back up without the risk of ensnaring myself in the ropes or breaking my ankle in one of the gaps between the floorboards.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
