Synonyms

trapped

American

[trapt] / træpt /

adjective

caught in or as if in a trap or by a ruse, trick, or stratagem.

Relocate any trapped rabbit at least five miles from the capture site.
Early in the visit I became the trapped witness to a nasty argument between my host and his wife, which they expected me to arbitrate.
(of air, water, etc.) held or contained in an enclosed space or in another substance.

Make sure the clay is pressed flat, with no trapped air bubbles.
accidentally stuck or jammed in a narrow place from which release is difficult.

This excellent telescopic ladder has finger guards—no more trapped fingers when letting it down!
set with traps.

We followed the track carefully through heavily trapped bush to the meeting place.
(of a drain, pipe, or the like) furnished with a device for stopping undesirable substances from flowing through.

The pipes discharge wastewater into a sewer, usually through a trapped drain.
Baseball. (of a ball) caught as it hits the ground.

Challenges to the umpire included a trapped ball in the outfield that nobody else thought was actually caught.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of trap

Etymology

Origin of trapped

First recorded in 1425–75; trap ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; trap ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A number of Scots are thought to be trapped in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE and Doha in neighbouring Qatar.

From BBC

A widely discussed idea known as iron fertilization proposed that as Antarctica warms and glaciers melt, iron trapped in the ice would be released into nearby waters.

From Science Daily

Maggie was trapped between society’s expectations for her gender, her profession, and her class.

From Literature

The staffers trapped on the roof would run down the fire escape, then scale a wall at the back.

From BBC

People who ignore or undervalue prompting will remain trapped in the drudgery of manual operations, where data points must be located and assembled.

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023