trap

TRAP/tɹæp/

Verbtraps, trapping, trapped

Noun pluraltraps

42 meanings of trap

Practice

1
verbtransitive
To hold someone or something in a place or situation so they can't get out.
Heavy snow can trap drivers on the mountain road for hours.
She felt trapped in a job she hated but could not leave.
UsageOften be trapped in a place: trapped in the snow.
Similarconfine, imprison
Oppositefree, release
2
nouncountable or uncountable
A device that catches animals, and sometimes kills them.
Like a box that snaps shut when a mouse steps inside.
The farmer set a trap to catch the rats in his barn.
We checked the traps every morning for foxes.
UsageSay set a trap.
Similarsnare
Note
3
setupnouncountable or uncountable
A clever trick or plan made to catch or fool someone.
Like a hidden hole covered with leaves that someone walks into.
The question was a trap, and he fell right into it.
She set a trap to find out who was stealing from her.
UsageOften fall into a trap.
Similarsnare, trick, ambush, setup, ploy
Note
4
captureverbtransitive
To catch an animal or person in a trap, or to hunt animals with traps.
Like closing your hands quickly around a fly.
They trap mice in the kitchen using small cages.
The net trapped the fish near the shore.
Similarcatch, snare, capture
Oppositerelease, free
5
nouncountable
A bad situation, often with money or with other people, that you can't easily leave once you're in it.
Using one credit card to pay off another is a trap.
Lying to your friends can become a trap, because one lie leads to another.
UsageOften in the poverty trap or a debt trap.
Similarsnare, quagmire
6
verbtransitive
To catch someone by using a trick or clever plan.
Like asking a question so clever the other person gives away their secret.
The lawyer tried to trap the witness with a tricky question.
They trapped him into admitting the truth.
UsageSay trap someone into saying something.
Similartrick, entrap, catch, ensnare, corner
Note
7
hip-hopnoununcountablebefore a noun
A style of hip-hop music with slow, heavy drum beats and deep bass.
She loves to play trap while she works out.
The DJ mixed trap with some older hip-hop songs.
UsageSay trap music or just trap.
Note

Less common meanings

8
mouthnounslangcountable or uncountable
A person's mouth, used in a rude or joking way.
Shut your trap and listen for once!
He never keeps his trap shut during movies.
UsageMostly in shut your trap: a rude way to say be quiet.
Similarmouth, gob, yap
Note
9
nounUScountablegolfus
A low, sandy area on a golf course that makes play harder if your ball lands in it.
My ball rolled into the trap right next to the green.
There are three traps around the last hole, so aim carefully.
UsageOften sand trap.
Similarbunker
Note
10
drain bendnouncountable
A bend in a drain pipe that holds a little water, so harmful gases can't get out but water still drains.
The plumber took off the trap under the sink and found my lost ring inside.
Our bathroom smelled bad because the trap in the shower drain had dried out.
11
back musclenounslangcountable
The large muscle across the top of your back and shoulders.
Shrugs are a great way to build your traps.
My left trap was sore for days after I moved the couch.
UsageIn formal writing, say trapezius.
Similartrapezius
Note
12
clay shootingnouncountable or uncountable
The sport of shooting at clay targets that a machine throws into the air away from you.
She competes in trap at the local gun club every weekend.
My uncle shoots trap at the gun club every Saturday morning.
UsageSay shoot trap.
Note
13
hatchnouncountable or uncountable
A door or cover over a hole in a floor, ceiling, or roof.
Like a small door built into the floor instead of a wall.
The actor dropped out of sight through the stage trap.
The stage crew opened the trap so the ghost could rise up.
Similarhatch
14
drug housenounslangUScountable or uncountablebefore a noun
A place where illegal drugs are made or sold.
Like a hidden shop, but for selling illegal drugs.
The police raided a trap on the east side of town.
Everyone in the neighborhood knew which house was the trap.
UsageOften in trap house.
Note
15
sell drugsverbslangintransitive
To sell illegal drugs, especially out on the street.
He started to trap on the corner after dropping out of school.
They trapped all night just to make rent.
UsageOften with a place: trap on the corner.
Similardeal, hustle
Note
16
verbtransitivesports
In sports like soccer, to stop a moving ball with your foot or body and control it.
Trap the ball first, then look for someone to pass to.
He trapped the ball with his chest and kicked it into the net.
UsageSay trap the ball with your foot or on your chest.
Similarcontrol
Note
17
rough areanounslangUScountable or uncountablebefore a noun
A poor, rough area, often in a city, with a lot of crime and few chances to do well.
He grew up in the trap and worked hard to leave it.
She grew up poor in the trap, where the streets weren't safe at night.
UsageOften in the trap.
Similarhood, ghetto, slum
Note
18
release devicenouncountable or uncountable
A device that holds something and then lets it go all at once.
Like a spring that holds back, then suddenly lets go.
The trap flung the clay disc high into the air.
The trap sprang open and the greyhound shot down the track.
UsageOften in out of the traps.
Note
19
pony cartnounhistoricalcountable or uncountable
A small, light carriage with two wheels and springs, pulled by a horse.
Like a small open cart with springs to make the ride smoother.
The doctor drove his trap along the country lane.
I had told them they could have my trap to take them as far as the road went, because after that they had a long walk.
1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, The Moon and SixpenceHere, trap means a small two-wheeled carriage pulled by a horse.
UsageOften pony and trap.
Similargig, cart
Note
20
offensive slurnounslangderogatoryoffensiveslurcountable or uncountable
A rude slang word for a male person or character who looks like a woman.
The troll cruelly labeled her a trap.
Online bigots dismiss trans women as traps.
UsageFor a trans woman, just say trans woman.
Note
21
noun
A dark, heavy kind of volcanic rock, and now any igneous rock that is not granite.
22
noun
A signal that stops a computer program so an error can be dealt with.
23
verb
To catch a computer error so the program can handle it instead of crashing.
24
noun
A made-up place put on a map on purpose, so the mapmaker can catch others who copy the map.
25
noun
A spot in a pipe or pump where air gets stuck because it has no way out.
26
noun
An underground rock shape that holds oil or gas in one place so it cannot escape.
27
verb
To fit something, such as a drain, with a trap.
28
nounslang
A safe landing of a plane on an aircraft carrier, caught and stopped by special cables on the deck.
29
verbslang
To land a plane safely on an aircraft carrier, caught and stopped by the deck cables.
30
verbslang
To trick a straight man into having sex by appearing to be a woman.
31
nounslang
A separate, closed-off stall inside a public restroom.
32
verb
To leave a place quickly and suddenly.
33
nounslang
A rude slang word for the vagina.
But she carries the shawl so well that you never get a peep at her trap until she’s ready to show it to you.
1941, Henry Miller, Under the Roofs of Paris (Opus Pistorum)Here, trap is a rude slang word for the vagina.
34
nounarchaic
A small set of steps you can carry around.
There is likewise a cabin trap with five steps.
1798, Edinburgh Weekly Journal
35
noun
A shoe-like wooden tool that flips up the ball in an old game.
36
noun
An old game where a ball is flipped up and hit with a bat.
37
nounarchaic
A cop.
38
nounarchaic
The things a person owns or carries with them.
"Carry your traps out, Ma?" asked one of the passengers.
1938, Xavier Herbert, Capricornia
39
nounslangAustralia
An officer who checked gold miners' permits in Australia in the 1850s.
Diggers were angered by frequent licence inspections and harassment by 'the traps' (the goldfield police).
2006, Helen Calvert, Jenny Herbst
40
nounslang
Money a sex worker makes and gives to a pimp.
41
verbdated
In a mine, to open and shut a door so carts can pass.
42
verb
To decorate something, especially a horse.

More uses

sand trapa hollow full of sand on a golf course

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of trap apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–10, 12–20

From Old English træppe, meaning "trap" or "snare." It goes back to an old root meaning "to step" or "tread."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Trap derives from Old English træppe, meaning “trap” or “snare.” en.wiktionary.org
Its earlier root meant “to step” or “tread.” en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 11

A shortened form of the word trapezius.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

Trap is a shortened form of trapezius. en.wiktionary.org