TRAPPED Synonyms: 96 Similar and Opposite Words

trapped 1 of 2

adjective

as in bound

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Dissimilar Words

trapped

2 of 2

verb

past tense of trap

as in tangled

to catch or hold as if in a net an ambitious young man who was now trapped in a series of shady business deals

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in grabbed

to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly finally trapped the annoying fly in the palm of his hand

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of trapped

Adjective

Firefighters used air shells and hammer drills, chipping the stone away from his trapped hand, Piantine said. — Ricky Sayer, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 Emergency crews were trying to reach at least two people that remained trapped inside. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026 The driver managed to escape with one dog while another remained trapped inside, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026 Both buyers and sellers remain trapped in a wait and see stance, further dragging on a US housing market that has been stagnant for nearly four years. — CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026 These damp materials remain trapped in the folds and never fully dry, creating the perfect warm, moist environment for microbial growth. — Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Sep. 2026 For example, standard plastics, composites, sealants, and lubricants manufactured on Earth will release trapped gases and volatile compounds, and rapidly degrade in Mars' near-vacuum. — New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2026 As the Covid-19 pandemic set in, and millions of Americans became trapped in their homes with no access to mommy-and-me events, toddler classes, or respite, Accurso’s channel hit 1 million subscribers. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026 Cool the loaf completely before storing to prevent trapped moisture, which can lead to sogginess or mold. — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2026

Verb

Separately, a woman trapped inside her car in floodwaters was freed outside of Morganton. — Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026 As his father became more trapped by his criminal enterprises, Flynn remained decent and upstanding. — Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026 Neither doubling down nor walking away offers a way out of the cycle that has trapped every recent president. — Philip H. Gordon, Foreign Affairs, 12 Oct. 2026 Family members believe Jilani drowned after becoming trapped in powerful water currents. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Key indicators that your current setup is failing include noticeable air currents that can be felt from across the room, as well as condensation or moisture trapped between the glass panes. — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026 This is a person who’s really isolated herself, who has run from love, who has thought of love as a trap, and who has done everything in her power not to be trapped. — Max Gao, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026 An Oregon man who was trapped under a boulder about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle used his wireless earbuds to place a call for help, the police and the man’s mother said. — Ishani Desai, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 Escarpments were carved into beaches, asphalt rippled on the coastal highway, and tourists like Lester were left trapped. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for trapped

Adjective

The team checked this directly by computing how much of each galaxy's baryon budget actually stayed bound to the system.

— Paul Sutter, Space.com, 9 June 2026
To help calculate a lower bound, Erdős assumed that the points would be laid out in a grid.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026

Definition of bound

Verb

The store owner grabbed a gun and fired, sending the group fleeing empty-handed, according to FOX13 Seattle.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Protesters grabbed metal barriers blocking off the street and charged a row of cops before the officers were able to pull the barriers away from them.

— Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of grabbed

Adjective

Ten Southern state legislatures endorsed the idea by passing laws that allowed the freeing of an enslaved person only when deportation out of the state was arranged and paid for.

— Karen Masterson, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026
Was the prevailing idea that enslaved people were sweet and innocent and docile and as giving and forgiving as Uncle Tom?

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of enslaved

Adjective

That gave the team an additional visual reference during one of neurosurgery’s most confined operating environments.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Sewers can contain numerous hazards, including noxious and potentially deadly gases, unstable surfaces, flooding risks, and confined spaces.

— Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2026

Definition of confined

Verb

But the incumbent faces a tough battle because of an affordability crisis and a corruption scandal that ensnared the same justice who led the investigation into Bolsonaro.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Partners cannot tell which agreements will be ensnared in the next scandal, which encourages them to hedge.

— MATIAS SPEKTOR, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of ensnared

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trapezists

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“Trapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trapped. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of trapped

adjective

verb

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