Library / English Dictionary

TRAP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: trapped    , trapping   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of concealing yourself and lying in wait to attack by surprise

Synonyms:

ambuscade; ambush; lying in wait; trap

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("trap" is a kind of...):

coup de main; surprise attack (an attack without warning)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "trap"):

dry-gulching (the act of killing from ambush)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A hazard on a golf course

Synonyms:

bunker; sand trap; trap

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("trap" is a kind of...):

hazard (an obstacle on a golf course)

Holonyms ("trap" is a part of...):

golf course; links course (course consisting of a large landscaped area for playing golf)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("trap" is a kind of...):

device (an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose)

Meronyms (parts of "trap"):

bait; decoy; lure (something used to lure fish or other animals into danger so they can be trapped or killed)

Domain category:

animal; animate being; beast; brute; creature; fauna (a living organism characterized by voluntary movement)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "trap"):

flytrap (a trap for catching flies)

lobster pot (trap for catching lobsters)

mantrap (a trap for catching trespassers)

mousetrap (a trap for catching mice)

net (a trap made of netting to catch fish or birds or insects)

pit; pitfall (a trap in the form of a concealed hole)

pound net (trap consisting of an arrangement of nets directing fish into an enclosure)

rattrap (a trap for catching rats)

gin; noose; snare (a trap for birds or small mammals; often has a slip noose)

steel trap (a trap made of steel with a strong spring and sharp toothlike projections to hold the prey)

entanglement; web (an intricate trap that entangles or ensnares its victim)

Derivation:

trap (catch in or as if in a trap)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A light two-wheeled carriage

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("trap" is a kind of...):

carriage; equipage; rig (a vehicle with wheels drawn by one or more horses)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A device to hurl clay pigeons into the air for trapshooters

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("trap" is a kind of...):

mechanical device (mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Drain consisting of a U-shaped section of drainpipe that holds liquid and so prevents a return flow of sewer gas

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("trap" is a kind of...):

drain; drainpipe; waste pipe (a pipe through which liquid is carried away)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Informal terms for the mouth

Synonyms:

cakehole; gob; hole; maw; trap; yap

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("trap" is a kind of...):

mouth; oral cavity; oral fissure; rima oris (the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Something (often something deceptively attractive) that catches you unawares

Example:

it was all a snare and delusion

Synonyms:

snare; trap

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("trap" is a kind of...):

design; plan (an arrangement scheme)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "trap"):

iron trap (a trap from which there is no escape)

speed trap (a trap arranged on a roadway for catching speeders)

Derivation:

trap (place in a confining or embarrassing position)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

To hold fast or prevent from moving

Example:

The child was pinned under the fallen tree

Synonyms:

immobilise; immobilize; pin; trap

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

The fighter managed to trap his opponent

Sense 2

Meaning:

Catch in or as if in a trap

Example:

The men trap foxes

Synonyms:

ensnare; entrap; snare; trammel; trap

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "trap" is one way to...):

capture; catch (capture as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping)

Domain category:

hunt; hunting (the pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals regarded as a sport)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "trap"):

gin (trap with a snare)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

They trap the animals

Derivation:

trap (a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned)

trapper (someone who sets traps for animals (usually to obtain their furs))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Hold or catch as if in a trap

Example:

The gaps between the teeth trap food particles

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "trap" is one way to...):

hold; take hold (have or hold in one's hands or grip)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Place in a confining or embarrassing position

Example:

He was trapped in a difficult situation

Synonyms:

pin down; trap

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "trap" is one way to...):

confine; detain (deprive of freedom; take into confinement)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

trap (something (often something deceptively attractive) that catches you unawares)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Mr. Carruthers has got a trap, and so the dangers of the lonely road, if there ever were any dangers, are now over.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Shall I send you home in my trap?” asked old Cunningham.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Once Toto got too near the open trap door, and fell in; and at first the little girl thought she had lost him.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

That suggests the creature may have been alive when trapped.

(Dinosaur Tail Found in Myanmar, VOA News)

You cursed fools, you are trapped, every one of you!

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Unlike FCGR3A, FCGR3B is not capable of mediating antibody-dependent cytotoxicity and phagocytosis; FCGR3B may serve as a trap for immune complexes in the peripheral circulation without activating neutrophils.

(IgG Fc Receptor IIIB, NCI Thesaurus)

Functional Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis (FAMS) Emotional Well-Being: I feel trapped by my condition.

(FAMS - Feel Trapped by My Condition, NCI Thesaurus)

“A nice trap!” cried the high, snarling voice.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

These were trapped by the Indians for the purpose, and a fight between White Fang and a wolf was always sure to draw a crowd.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

This allele, which encodes Krev interaction trapped protein 1, may play a role in integrin signaling modulation.

(KRIT1 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)