as in to trap
to catch or hold as if in a net
parked just out of view, the state trooper was lying in wait to ensnare unwary speeders
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Recent Examples of ensnare
Harper, June 10 Image King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
The best-selling Southern crime novelist returns with a gripping story about a finance manager who, while visiting his injured father in Virginia, becomes slowly ensnared in his brother’s dangerous dealings with a vicious drug syndicate.
—
Laura Thompson, New York Times, 22 May 2025
The Trump administration has been ensnared in a Lilliputian thicket of nationwide injunctions almost since the moment that Donald Trump was sworn in and began issuing executive orders.
—The Editors, National Review, 19 May 2025
Cotton’s Chips Security Act would ensnare Nvidia’s top-tier RTX 4090 and the RTX 5090 graphics cards for consumers.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 13 May 2025
Three vehicles traveling behind the northbound buses added to the wreckage when they too became ensnared in the afternoon pile-up outside Philadelphia.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ensnare
Laura Thompson, New York Times, 22 May 2025
The Trump administration has been ensnared in a Lilliputian thicket of nationwide injunctions almost since the moment that Donald Trump was sworn in and began issuing executive orders.
—The Editors, National Review, 19 May 2025
Cotton’s Chips Security Act would ensnare Nvidia’s top-tier RTX 4090 and the RTX 5090 graphics cards for consumers.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 13 May 2025
Three vehicles traveling behind the northbound buses added to the wreckage when they too became ensnared in the afternoon pile-up outside Philadelphia.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ensnare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ensnare
Verb
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If trapped by moving water, seek the highest possible point and contact emergency services by calling 911.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
7 June 2025
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On issue after issue — guns, property taxes, transgender rights — Republicans will try to trap Jolly, forcing him to play identity politics, likely a losing proposition.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
7 June 2025
Verb
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In June, Emily’s legs were tangled between Gen’s in the flatbed of Gen’s pick-up truck, the metal hot beneath her skin.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2025
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The homeowner's Stars and Stripes, which was fluttering on the flagpole beside the entrance, was tangled.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
5 June 2025
Verb
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Most horror flicks entrap their characters in one location or put them in some sort of unique, tense situation (think: satanic possession, or pissing off the wrong truck driver, attracting the wrong person, etc.), but in Final Destination, Death works with the great mundane canvas of ordinary life.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
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Early motherhood entraps them—and their children—in a bleak socioeconomic cycle that’s almost impossible to break.—
Elise Taylor,
Vogue,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ensnare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ensnare. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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