1
as in tangling
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grabbing
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
finally trapped the annoying fly in the palm of his hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of trapping
Ventless hoods don't have ductwork and include a charcoal filter for trapping smoke and odors so that air can be recirculated.
—
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 15 Sep. 2025
The pickup truck caught fire on impact, trapping its driver inside.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2025
This dependency breeds complacency, trapping organizations in a cycle of mediocrity and stagnation.
—Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The last is dumping iron dust into the Southern Ocean to provoke phytoplankton blooms that would suck heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, a move that set off a backlash when an American entrepreneur tried it off Canada in 2012.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2025
During heavy rain, flush-fit door handles have short-circuited, trapping people in their cars.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2025
Surely Putin was in a panic at that point, for had NATO even threatened to take any action—such as blowing up the Kursk bridge and thereby trapping his army in Ukraine—he would have been left with the choice of surrender or all-out intercontinental nuclear war.
—Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025
Besides being exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to remove, paint can also damage brick by trapping moisture within the wall assembly leading to flaking paint and possible structural damage to the building.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Many cities across the state faced above average maximum temperatures this July — consistent with a decades-long increase influenced by the heat-trapping effects of atmospheric pollution.
—Jessica Meszaros, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 15 Sep. 2025
The pickup truck caught fire on impact, trapping its driver inside.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2025
This dependency breeds complacency, trapping organizations in a cycle of mediocrity and stagnation.
—Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The last is dumping iron dust into the Southern Ocean to provoke phytoplankton blooms that would suck heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, a move that set off a backlash when an American entrepreneur tried it off Canada in 2012.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2025
During heavy rain, flush-fit door handles have short-circuited, trapping people in their cars.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2025
Surely Putin was in a panic at that point, for had NATO even threatened to take any action—such as blowing up the Kursk bridge and thereby trapping his army in Ukraine—he would have been left with the choice of surrender or all-out intercontinental nuclear war.
—Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025
Besides being exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to remove, paint can also damage brick by trapping moisture within the wall assembly leading to flaking paint and possible structural damage to the building.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Many cities across the state faced above average maximum temperatures this July — consistent with a decades-long increase influenced by the heat-trapping effects of atmospheric pollution.
—Jessica Meszaros, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trapping
Verb
-
The sides had been tangling over the evidence since March, when the judge held a Frye hearing to determine whether the new type of DNA testing should be admissible.—
Michael Ruiz , Jennifer Johnson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The large brush roll resists tangling hair and pet fur, which eliminates the need to stop and pull items off the brush—and also eliminates a clogged pipe.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
After grabbing an early lead Friday evening, the Royals were unable to match their hosts’ prolific offense on Friday.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The owner squeezed her hands into the mix of kittens, moving the babies and grabbing the one that did not belong, which turned out to be a tiny mouse.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That total lack of self-awareness and disregard for consequences fed right into Epstein’s warped way of entrapping others.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Simultaneously, Foden attacks the vacant space, catching Manuel Ugarte off guard.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Emeka Egbuka delivered on the preseason hype in his first NFL game, catching four passes for 67 yards and two scores.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Antonelli was showing signs of progress toward Russell’s pace early in 2025, including snaring an impressive sprint race pole in Miami.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Three Los Angeles County men have been arrested for allegedly snatching high-end jewelry from victims who were walking to their vehicles in Fullerton earlier this year, police said.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
-
One said bump is a particularly nasty, literal wig-snatching fight between Vida and Chi-Chi.—
Jen Juneau,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Last September, when news broke that another friend of Kraus’s, the journalist Olivia Nuzzi, had exchanged intimate texts with Kennedy, Kraus wrote a Substack post accusing Nuzzi of ensnaring Kennedy and insulted her looks on Instagram.—
Clare Malone,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
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On another, the Internal Revenue Code stands ready with its expatriation tax regime—potentially ensnaring not only those who voluntarily renounce their citizenship but also those whose citizenship is stripped away.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The camera was also capturing a growing blurring of the boundaries between the Japanese and Taiwanese urban elite in colonial society.—
H.M.A. Leow,
JSTOR Daily,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Instead of using a single bulky lens, the camera employs a thin mask embedded with dozens of tiny lenslets, each capturing a unique perspective of the same object.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trapping. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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