entrap


Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

en·trap

 (ĕn-trăp′)
tr.v. en·trapped, en·trap·ping, en·traps
1. To catch in or as if in a trap.
2.
a. To lure into danger, difficulty, or a compromising situation. See Synonyms at catch.
b. Law To induce (someone) into performing an otherwise uncontemplated criminal act for the sole purpose of providing the basis for a prosecution.

[French entraper, from Old French : en-, in; see en-1 + trape, trap (of Germanic origin).]

en·trap′ment n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

entrap

(ɪnˈtræp)
vb (tr) , -traps, -trapping or -trapped
1. to catch or snare in or as if in a trap
2. to lure or trick into danger, difficulty, or embarrassment
enˈtrapper n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

en•trap

(ɛnˈtræp)

v.t. -trapped, -trap•ping.
1. to catch in or as if in a trap; ensnare.
2. to bring unawares into difficulty or danger.
3. to lure into performing an act or making a statement that is compromising or illegal.
[1525–35; < Middle French entraper]
en•trap′ment, n.
en•trap′per, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

entrap


Past participle: entrapped
Gerund: entrapping

Imperative
entrap
entrap
Present
I entrap
you entrap
he/she/it entraps
we entrap
you entrap
they entrap
Preterite
I entrapped
you entrapped
he/she/it entrapped
we entrapped
you entrapped
they entrapped
Present Continuous
I am entrapping
you are entrapping
he/she/it is entrapping
we are entrapping
you are entrapping
they are entrapping
Present Perfect
I have entrapped
you have entrapped
he/she/it has entrapped
we have entrapped
you have entrapped
they have entrapped
Past Continuous
I was entrapping
you were entrapping
he/she/it was entrapping
we were entrapping
you were entrapping
they were entrapping
Past Perfect
I had entrapped
you had entrapped
he/she/it had entrapped
we had entrapped
you had entrapped
they had entrapped
Future
I will entrap
you will entrap
he/she/it will entrap
we will entrap
you will entrap
they will entrap
Future Perfect
I will have entrapped
you will have entrapped
he/she/it will have entrapped
we will have entrapped
you will have entrapped
they will have entrapped
Future Continuous
I will be entrapping
you will be entrapping
he/she/it will be entrapping
we will be entrapping
you will be entrapping
they will be entrapping
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been entrapping
you have been entrapping
he/she/it has been entrapping
we have been entrapping
you have been entrapping
they have been entrapping
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been entrapping
you will have been entrapping
he/she/it will have been entrapping
we will have been entrapping
you will have been entrapping
they will have been entrapping
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been entrapping
you had been entrapping
he/she/it had been entrapping
we had been entrapping
you had been entrapping
they had been entrapping
Conditional
I would entrap
you would entrap
he/she/it would entrap
we would entrap
you would entrap
they would entrap
Past Conditional
I would have entrapped
you would have entrapped
he/she/it would have entrapped
we would have entrapped
you would have entrapped
they would have entrapped
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.entrap - take or catch as if in a snare or trap; "I was set up!"; "The innocent man was framed by the police"
cozen, deceive, delude, lead on - be false to; be dishonest with
2.entrap - catch in or as if in a trapentrap - catch in or as if in a trap; "The men trap foxes"
hunting, hunt - the pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals regarded as a sport
capture, catch - capture as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping; "I caught a rabbit in the trap today"
gin - trap with a snare; "gin game"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

entrap

noun
1. trick, lure, seduce, entice, deceive, implicate, lead on, embroil, beguile, allure, entangle, ensnare, inveigle, set a trap for, enmesh She was trying to entrap him into marriage.
verb
1. catch, net, capture, trap, snare, entangle, ensnare The whale's mouth contains filters which entrap plankton.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

entrap

verb
To gain control of or an advantage over by or as if by trapping:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

entrap

[ɪnˈtræp] VTcoger en una trampa (fig) → entrampar
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

entrap

[ɪnˈtræp] vt
(= catch) [+ criminal] → prendre au piège
(= trick) (into committing crime)piéger
to be entrapped → être piégé(e)
to be entrapped into doing sth → être amené(e) à faire qch par la ruse
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

entrap

vt
(= catch)(in einer Falle) fangen
(= induce) to entrap somebody into doing somethingjdn dazu verführen or verleiten, etw zu tun
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

entrap

[ɪnˈtræp] vt (frm) → intrappolare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in classic literature ?
By regarding her tears and her smiles as enemies, her stooping form, her hanging arms, and all her disentangled hair as toils designed to entrap man's heart.
My servant, a man of wit, was surprised as well as everybody else; and I can ascribe to nothing but a miracle my escape from so many snares as he laid to entrap me.
The criminal meant to entrap some one of the race of men in the high hall.
The morning that Margaret had spent with Miss Avery, and the afternoon she set out to entrap Helen, were the scales of a single balance.
"Do you want me then," said Estella, turning suddenly with a fixed and serious, if not angry, look, "to deceive and entrap you?"
Using polymeric nanoparticles to entrap and deliver vitamins has its advantages.
All the same, is it right that the council should be briefing 16 year olds to go in and buy cigarettes specifically to entrap the shop keeper?
Keeping the said information in view, attempts have been made to entrap [alpha]-amylase in agar in order to optimize the immobilization parameters such as agar concentration, calcium chloride concentration, and hardening time on entrapment of enzyme and physical stability of beads.
Both in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that alginate-based rafts can entrap carbon dioxide, as well as antacid components contained in some formulations, thus providing a relatively pH-neutral barrier.
The snaring of an innocent man, Held at compounds by the sea, A new world faced without consent, Chains entrap a spirit free, A voyage cruel; two seasons long, From coast to coast the rigging lashed, Cat o' nines would quash decent, The flesh of humans brutally thrashed, Devoid of food or sanitary, No written words describe the smell, No light pervades beneath the decks, Conditions worse than those of hell, Amoebic, scurvy, dysentery, All poor souls would be lost, Expendable cargo; a commodity, Overboard the sickly freely tossed, The trading of a human life, With thoughts and feelings just like me, Denied the rights of freedom, just, Forgiveness there can never be.
He denied that Mr Galley had been knowingly used by police after his arrest in an attempt to entrap Mr Green.