as in trapped
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as in tangled
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 ensnared
Tom Winter, NBC news, 10 June 2026
Those charges followed a sprawling indictment of 34 defendants that also ensnared Hall of Fame player and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former Lakers assistant coach Damon Jones.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Alabama's congressional map has been ensnared in legal wrangling since 2021, when the state drew new House districts after the 2020 Census.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 27 May 2026
The scheme ensnared former ministers, Defense Minister Umerov, and Prime Minister Sviridenko.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
That would make sure people are correctly identified to ensure others aren’t ensnared in operations, Cardenas said.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 16 May 2026
Access to Canvas has been restored following yesterday's widespread outage that ensnared thousands of universities and schools.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026
Both of Seatrium’s predecessor companies were ensnared in Operation Car Wash, Brazil’s sweeping anti-corruption investigation that eventually consumed much of the country’s political and business establishment.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
This is not the first time Polymarket has been ensnared in controversy.
—Niamh Kennedy, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
More than 30 people, including members and associates of four major Mafia crime families, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and ex-NBA player Damon Jones, have been ensnared in the scheme.
—Tom Winter, NBC news, 10 June 2026
Those charges followed a sprawling indictment of 34 defendants that also ensnared Hall of Fame player and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former Lakers assistant coach Damon Jones.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Alabama's congressional map has been ensnared in legal wrangling since 2021, when the state drew new House districts after the 2020 Census.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 27 May 2026
The scheme ensnared former ministers, Defense Minister Umerov, and Prime Minister Sviridenko.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
That would make sure people are correctly identified to ensure others aren’t ensnared in operations, Cardenas said.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 16 May 2026
Access to Canvas has been restored following yesterday's widespread outage that ensnared thousands of universities and schools.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026
Both of Seatrium’s predecessor companies were ensnared in Operation Car Wash, Brazil’s sweeping anti-corruption investigation that eventually consumed much of the country’s political and business establishment.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
This is not the first time Polymarket has been ensnared in controversy.
—Niamh Kennedy, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ensnared
Adjective
-
These byproducts, chloramines, form when the chlorine molecules bind with the organic matter (dirt, body oil, sweat) in towels and become trapped in the fibers.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
7 June 2026
-
Two Broward Sheriff's Office deputies and off-duty Fort Lauderdale Fire Captain Keith Costa were the first responders on scene, diving into the canal to help the trapped woman.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Jellyfish and jellyfish larvae sometimes get tangled in the seaweed, and their tentacles can really hurt and cause severe skin irritation, rashes and blisters.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
12 June 2026
-
Instead, both hesitated, their feet tangled and a charging Healy banged in the loose ball.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Years later, when tragedy strikes again and a mysterious inheritance surfaces, Ruth is forced to confront unsettling truths about the women who raised her and decide whether to redefine her future or remain bound to the past.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
22 May 2026
-
The bound paper booklets in which students hand-write their responses to test questions have surged in popularity during the AI explosion.—
Jamil Zaki,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
Merchants in fine suits rode in carriages or on sedan chairs while enslaved people lugging carts and crates wore dirty, threadbare clothing and could be publicly whipped or burned to death for misbehavior.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
9 June 2026
-
Wrong As Levenson tells it, in the early 18th century, a couple of forward-thinking Westerners learned about inoculations against smallpox from Ottoman women and an enslaved African.—
Diana Gitig,
ArsTechnica,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ensnared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ensnared. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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