TRAP (trapped, trapping)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: trapped    , trapping   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does trap mean? 

• TRAP (noun)
  The noun TRAP has 8 senses:

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

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

3. something (often something deceptively attractive) that catches you unawares

4. a device to hurl clay pigeons into the air for trapshooters

5. the act of concealing yourself and lying in wait to attack by surprise

6. informal terms for the mouth

7. a light two-wheeled carriage

8. a hazard on a golf course

  Familiarity information: TRAP used as a noun is common.

• TRAP (verb)
  The verb TRAP has 4 senses:

1. place in a confining or embarrassing position

2. catch in or as if in a trap

3. hold or catch as if in a trap

4. to hold fast or prevent from moving

  Familiarity information: TRAP used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TRAP (noun)

Sense 1

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 2

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 3

Meaning:

Something (often something deceptively attractive) that catches you unawares

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

snare; trap

Context example:

it was all a snare and delusion

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)

Sense 4

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 5

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

ambuscade; ambush; lying in wait; trap

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 6

Meaning:

Informal terms for the mouth

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

cakehole; gob; hole; maw; trap; yap

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 7

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 8

Meaning:

A hazard on a golf course

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

bunker; sand trap; trap

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)

• TRAP (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they trap    ... he / she / it traps   
Past simple: trapped   
Past participle: trapped   
-ing form: trapping   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Place in a confining or embarrassing position

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

pin down; trap

Context example:

He was trapped in a difficult situation

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)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Catch in or as if in a trap

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

ensnare; entrap; snare; trammel; trap

Context example:

The men trap foxes

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

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

The gaps between the teeth trap food particles

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:

To hold fast or prevent from moving

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

immobilise; immobilize; pin; trap

Context example:

The child was pinned under the fallen tree

Sentence frames:

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

Sentence example:

The fighter managed to trap his opponent

 Context examples 

Speech produced by trapping air in the esophagus and forcing it out again.

(Esophageal speech, NCI Dictionary)

Nor did he notice the open trap.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

These findings could help explain the deposits of ice in cold traps in the dark reaches of craters near the poles.

(Meteoroid Strikes Eject Precious Water From Moon, NASA)

Before going to bed I went round to the patient's room and looked in through the observation trap.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Interacting with p65 (RELA), widely expressed 36-38kDa unphosphorylated cytoplasmic ANK-repeat human I Kappa B Proteins A/B/E (NFKBI Family) inhibit NF-Kappa-B, trapping it in the cytoplasm.

(I Kappa B, NCI Thesaurus)

By complexing with and trapping NF-Kappa-B in the cytoplasm, NFKBIE inhibits and likely regulates NFKB.

(I-Kappa-B-Epsilon, NCI Thesaurus)

By complexing with and trapping NF-Kappa-B in the cytoplasm, unphosphorylated NFKBIB inhibits and likely regulates NFKB.

(I-Kappa-B-Beta, NCI Thesaurus)

By complexing with and trapping NFKB in the cytoplasm, unphosphorylated NFKBIA inhibits NFKB target gene transcription in cell adhesion, immune and proinflammatory responses, apoptosis, differentiation, and growth.

(I Kappa B-Alpha Protein, NCI Thesaurus)

If the planet has a dense atmosphere, which will take future studies to determine, it could trap enough heat to warm the planet and allow liquid water on its surface.

(Confirmation of Toasty TESS Planet Leads to Surprising Find of Promising World, NASA)

But our trap should be here.

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