Trap | Mean of trap in English Dictionary

/ˈtræp/

• Noun
• a device that is used for catching animals
1. They set traps to catch the mice.
2. a bear/lobster trap
3. She has a mind like a steel trap. [=she remembers everything]
• something that is used or done to stop or capture someone (such as a criminal)
1. The police are laying/setting a trap to catch him.
2. The soldiers had walked/stumbled into a trap.
• a situation in which someone is tricked into doing or saying something
1. Credit card companies were accused of laying/setting traps for consumers. [=tricking consumers]

• a bad position or situation from which it is difficult to escape
1. a mental/theoretical trap
2. Many new businesses fail because they try to expand too quickly, but we have so far managed to avoid that trap.
3. They tended to view marriage as a trap.
4. Don't fall into the trap of believing that technology can solve all our problems.
• a bend in a pipe that contains water and that prevents gas from passing through the pipe
1. a plumbing trap
• a light carriage that is usually pulled by one horse
1. a horse and trap
• Verb
• to catch (an animal) in a trap
1. trapping mice
2. They trapped the bear and relocated it to another forest.
• to force (a person or animal) into a place or position from which escape is very difficult or impossible
1. The police trapped [=cornered] the robber in an alley.
• to cause (a person or animal) to be unable to move or escape from a dangerous place
1. A tree fell in front of the door and trapped the people inside.
2. They were trapped and couldn't get out.
3. She was trapped in the elevator for more than an hour.
• to force (someone) to stay in a bad or unpleasant situation
1. He felt trapped in his marriage.
2. people trapped in low-paying jobs
• to fool or trick (someone) into doing or saying something
1. The lawyer tried to trap the witness into admitting that she had lied.
• to stop (something) from escaping or being lost
1. Greenhouse gases trap heat inside the Earth's atmosphere.
• to cause (something, such as a part of your body) to become stuck and unable to move
1. She trapped [=(US) caught, pinched] her finger in the door.
• to catch (the ball) immediately after it bounces off the ground
1. The outfielder trapped the ball.