Skip to main content
to entrap

to entrap

8 7.2
To catch a person or animal by tricking them so they cannot escape
  • verb
  • /ɪnˈtræp/
translation icon : atrapar
  • Their insidious, malevolent regime had managed to entrap vast numbers of them in collusion and corruption.

They can't use they can't entrap a person.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Marius was pushing Beryorics to the northwest in an attempt to entrap the Germans along the Alps.

  • You wouldn't be trying to entrap me, would you?

  • Chief and I could figure out a way to entrap him.

  • Our enemies are the demons who entrap them and who seek to entrap us.

    Blog text (24)
  • The more I twist and struggle, the more I entrap myself.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • You're trying to entrap me into a relationship.

  • I wonder if the FBI is trying to entrap me, Jake, or Julian.

  • Do you want me then to deceive and entrap you?

  • First, he entraps Frate Timoteo into the conspiracy with a bribe.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Traffickers use a variety of ruses to entrap their victims.

Synonyms

to trap
vsto entrap
919 2.6

To catch and hold someone or something so they cannot leave

often stresses deliberate trickery rather than just physical capture
to capture
vsto entrap
884 2.8

To catch and take control of someone or something after a chase

depends on trickery or making escape hard rather than on force or pursuit
to entangle
vsto entrap
24 6.3

Involve someone in a difficult situation they cannot easily get out of

implies deliberate deception or physical restraint rather than mere involvement
to snare
vsto entrap
18 5.6

To catch something, often by using a trap or a trick

focuses more on trickery and making escape difficult
to bait
vsto entrap
18 3.2

To use something to lure a person, animal or fish into a trap

is more general not limited to using a specific lure
to ensnare
vsto entrap
13 7.7

To trap someone or something, often by a trick when they are in a difficult situation

is the same idea focusing on deliberate trickery to prevent escape
to enmesh
vsto entrap
9 7.8

To catch something in a net or a difficult situation

involves deliberate trickery to cause capture rather than simple entanglement
to decoy
vsto entrap
3 6.1

To trick someone into a trap or danger

relies on trickery more generally rather than on a specific false target
to ensnarl
vsto entrap
1 9.3

To catch something in a net or trap so it cannot move

focuses more on tricking and preventing escape than mere entanglement
to springe
vsto entrap
  • Archaic
9.9

To catch animals or people with a snare

is broader covering trickery beyond using such specific devices

Antonyms

1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

How Trapped

to entrap
8 7.2
to ensnare
13 7.7
to snare
18 5.6
trap
752 2.0
to catch
1.0

Surface Forms

entrap infinitive
entrapped past
entrapped past participle
entrapping present participle
entraps third person singular

Morphology

entrap = trap (transparent) = en + trap

The prefix 'en-' combines with the verb 'trap' to produce the verb 'entrap' with a directly derivable meaning 'to put into a trap' or 'to cause to be trapped'.

Etymology

Entrap comes from the en- part meaning 'in' and the word trap meaning 'snare' or 'a way to catch something'. So to entrap someone is to 'put them in a trap', often by tricking them or making it hard to escape.