trap

noun

/træp/

Idioms

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for animals

a piece of equipment for catching animals

a fox with its leg in a trap
A trap was laid, with fresh bait.

trick

a clever plan designed to trick somebody, either by capturing them or by making them do or say something that they did not mean to do or say

She had set a trap for him and he had walked straight into it.

see also booby trap, radar trap, speed trap, tourist trap

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

hidden
obvious
potential
…

verb + trap

lay
set
set up
…

See full entry

bad situation

[usually singular] an unpleasant situation from which it is hard to escape

the unemployment trap
Some women see marriage as a trap.

see also death trap, fire trap, poverty trap

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

hidden
obvious
potential
…

verb + trap

lay
set
set up
…

See full entry

carriage

a light carriage with two wheels, pulled by a horse

a pony and trap

mouth

(slang) mouth synonym gob

Shut your trap! (= a rude way of telling somebody to be quiet)
to keep your trap shut (= to not tell a secret)

for racing dog

a cage from which a greyhound (= a type of dog) is let out at the start of a race

in golf

(also sand trap)

(both especially North American English)

(also bunker British and North American English)

a small area filled with sand on a golf course

Word OriginOld English træppe (in coltetræppe ‘Christ's thorn’); related to Middle Dutch trappe and medieval Latin trappa, of uncertain origin. The verb dates from late Middle English.

Idioms

spring a trap

to make a trap for catching animals close suddenly
to try to trick somebody into doing or saying something; to succeed in this

to fall into/avoid the trap of doing something

to do/avoid doing something that is a mistake but that seems at first to be a good idea
- Parents often fall into the trap of trying to do everything for their children.
- The movie avoids the trap of spending too much time explaining things.

trap

verb

/træp/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they trap	/træp/ /træp/
he / she / it traps	/træps/ /træps/
past simple trapped	/træpt/ /træpt/
past participle trapped	/træpt/ /træpt/
-ing form trapping	/ˈtræpɪŋ/ /ˈtræpɪŋ/

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in dangerous/bad situation

[usually passive] to put somebody in a dangerous place that they cannot get out of

be trapped Help! I'm trapped!
be trapped by something We became trapped by the rising floodwater.
be trapped + adv./prep. They were trapped in the burning building.

[usually passive] to keep somebody in a bad situation that they want to get out of but cannot

be trapped + adv./prep. He was trapped in an unhappy marriage.
I feel trapped in my job.

part of body/clothing

trap something (+ adv./prep.) to have part of your body, your clothing, etc. held in a place so tightly that you cannot remove it and it may be injured or damaged

I trapped my coat in the car door.
The pain was caused by a trapped nerve.

catch

trap somebody/something (+ adv./prep.) to force somebody/something into a place or situation that they cannot escape from, especially in order to catch them

The escaped prisoners were eventually trapped in an underground garage and recaptured.
Police believe the fingerprints could help trap the killer.

trap something to catch an animal in a trap

Raccoons used to be trapped for their fur.

trap something to catch or keep something in a place and prevent it from escaping, especially so that you can use it

Solar panels trap energy from the sun.

trick

trap somebody (into something/into doing something) to trick somebody into something

He felt he had been trapped into accepting the terms of the contract.
The police managed to trap him into revealing his true identity.

Word OriginOld English træppe (in coltetræppe ‘Christ's thorn’); related to Middle Dutch trappe and medieval Latin trappa, of uncertain origin. The verb dates from late Middle English.