as in bound
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in tangled
to catch or hold as if in a net
an ambitious young man who was now trapped in a series of shady business deals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grabbed
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
finally trapped the annoying fly in the palm of his hand
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of trapped
Christopher Vollmer, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
If your water source contains a large percentage of minerals (hard water), the minerals become trapped in the fibers, leaving them feeling stiff.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2026
But rest assured, trapped gas on its own is typically no cause for concern and will resolve with the above tactics.
—Julia Ries Wexler, SELF, 6 Feb. 2026
According to the department’s post, the dog had wandered onto a frozen body of water before the ice suddenly broke, leaving it trapped and unable to swim to safety as the cold quickly began to take its toll.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
On its own, aluminum can sink once water enters and displaces trapped air.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Avoid lifting the lid—trapped steam is essential for even cooking.
—Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 27 Jan. 2026
Clunky, constrictive shoes take up excess leg room and can make your feet feel trapped.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 22 Jan. 2026
Firefighters rescued two adults, a child and a cat from a burning third-floor apartment in Michigan as crews raced to save trapped residents during a fast-moving blaze and subzero temperatures Tuesday night.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Dorany Pineda, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
My Turkishness, my experience of Turkey, my relationships with friends and relatives, are stunted, trapped in the past.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
He’s trapped in rolling crises of his own making and is struggling to sell voters on the idea of a strong American economy.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 9 Feb. 2026
By cutting so much of Brontë’s sprawling novel down to the quick, by focusing so squarely on just Cathy and Heathcliff, we’re trapped only in the immediacy of their doomed affection, which is never allowed to be hot enough to make the entire effort come together, let alone come undone.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Feb. 2026
Sunday, with a report that people were trapped inside a house fire.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
The back side of the towel depicted a bunny kicking a football, which is trapped inside a block of ice.
—Jordy Fee-Platt, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
He's trapped in a mini castle under Mario and Luigi's supervision, but hasn't given up on Peach (he's even painted a little portrait of them together).
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Feb. 2026
Feeling bored, resentful and trapped by domestic life, Hedda hatches a plan to destroy her husband’s potential career rival, Eilert Lovberg, who happens to be her ex-lover.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Too many companies remain trapped optimizing outdated growth systems designed for stability, predictability, and media scale rather than relevance, agility, and cultural fluency.
—Christopher Vollmer, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
If your water source contains a large percentage of minerals (hard water), the minerals become trapped in the fibers, leaving them feeling stiff.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2026
But rest assured, trapped gas on its own is typically no cause for concern and will resolve with the above tactics.
—Julia Ries Wexler, SELF, 6 Feb. 2026
According to the department’s post, the dog had wandered onto a frozen body of water before the ice suddenly broke, leaving it trapped and unable to swim to safety as the cold quickly began to take its toll.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
On its own, aluminum can sink once water enters and displaces trapped air.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Avoid lifting the lid—trapped steam is essential for even cooking.
—Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 27 Jan. 2026
Clunky, constrictive shoes take up excess leg room and can make your feet feel trapped.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 22 Jan. 2026
Firefighters rescued two adults, a child and a cat from a burning third-floor apartment in Michigan as crews raced to save trapped residents during a fast-moving blaze and subzero temperatures Tuesday night.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
The snowpack — measured by how much water is trapped inside — in Oregon is not only record low, but 30% lower than the previous record, said Jason Gerlich, regional drought early warning system coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
—Dorany Pineda, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
My Turkishness, my experience of Turkey, my relationships with friends and relatives, are stunted, trapped in the past.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
He’s trapped in rolling crises of his own making and is struggling to sell voters on the idea of a strong American economy.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 9 Feb. 2026
By cutting so much of Brontë’s sprawling novel down to the quick, by focusing so squarely on just Cathy and Heathcliff, we’re trapped only in the immediacy of their doomed affection, which is never allowed to be hot enough to make the entire effort come together, let alone come undone.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Feb. 2026
Sunday, with a report that people were trapped inside a house fire.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
The back side of the towel depicted a bunny kicking a football, which is trapped inside a block of ice.
—Jordy Fee-Platt, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
He's trapped in a mini castle under Mario and Luigi's supervision, but hasn't given up on Peach (he's even painted a little portrait of them together).
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Feb. 2026
Feeling bored, resentful and trapped by domestic life, Hedda hatches a plan to destroy her husband’s potential career rival, Eilert Lovberg, who happens to be her ex-lover.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trapped
Adjective
-
The bound, heavy scriptures were placed on the cot and carried off in a procession to its sleeping quarters.—
Norma Meyer,
Oc Register,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The teenage phenom who seemed bound to start at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar instead fell down the depth chart.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In a game a year before Dunleavy brushed off getting knocked over by Antetokounmpo in the playoffs, he got tangled up with then-Sacramento Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins.—
Nick Friedell,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Read on for tips to keep from getting tangled in the knots.—
Amy Lindgren,
Twin Cities,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Doncic turned to run back up the court and grabbed the back of his left leg.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Jarrett Allen scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Dennis Schroder added 11 points in his Cavaliers debut and Keon Ellis had 6 points in his first game with the Cavaliers, who won for the seventh time in eight games.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Annis is an enslaved woman, sold south to a Louisiana sugarcane plantation.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
8 Feb. 2026
-
In 1854, an opportunity presented itself when Anthony Burns, an enslaved man, fled from Virginia and settled in Boston — the center of abolitionist sentiment in the US and a kind of sanctuary city for runaways.—
Stephen Mihm,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Stevenson insists that the goal of the Legacy Museum is not to present Alabama as irredeemably racist or forever entrapped by its past.—
Clint Smith,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2026
-
The Civic driver was extricated as Ramsubhag was received lifesaving measures while still entrapped the vehicle.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In his first playoff game, a thriller against the Los Angeles Rams, McMillan caught five passes for 81 yards, using his connection with quarterback Bryce Young to get the ball downfield.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
One month after the US carried out an attack in Venezuela to capture its president, civilians in the South American country remain caught between uncertainty and expectations of governmental change.—
CNN 9 hr ago,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The new tubes solve that problem with an internal divider at the middle of the tube that helps trap the air in a confined chamber.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
3 Feb. 2026
-
New York State now has six months to develop a plan to comply with a recent class action settlement addressing the lack of adequate mental health services for confined youth.—
Gladys Carrión,
New York Daily News,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Also ensnared are high-profile Norwegian diplomat couple Terje Rød-Larsen and Mona Juul, key players in the 1990s Israel-Palestinian peace efforts.—
Jill Lawless,
Fortune,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Across 240 pages, Landfair describes how she became ensnared in Kelly’s web and how the singer kept her trapped there for more than a decade through a persistent and dizzying combination of love-bombing, control, secrecy, and abuse.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trapped. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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