[trap] n [ME, fr. OE treppe & OF trape (of Gmc origin); akin to MD trappe trap, stair, OE treppan to tread] (bef. 12c) 1: a device for taking game or other animals; esp: one that holds by springing shut suddenly
2. a: something by which one is caught or stopped unawares; also: a position or situation from which it is difficult or impossible to escape b: a football play in which a defensive player is allowed to cross the line of scrimmage and then is blocked from the side while the ballcarrier advances through the spot vacated by the defensive player 3 a: a device for hurling clay pigeons into the air b: sand trap c: a piece of leather or section of interwoven leather straps between the thumb and forefinger of a baseball glove that forms an extension of the pocket
4. slang: mouth
5: a light usu. one-horse carriage with springs
6: any of various devices for preventing passage of something often while allowing other matter to proceed; esp: a device for drains or sewers consisting of a bend or partitioned chamber in which the liquid forms a seal to prevent the passage of sewer gas
7. pl: a group of percussion instruments (as a bass drum, snare drums, and cymbals) used esp. in a dance or jazz band 8: an arrangement of rock strata that favors the accumulation of oil and gas
9. pl [speed trap]: a measured stretch of a course over which electronic timing devices measure the speed of a vehicle (as a racing car or dragster)
[2]trap vb trapped ; trap.ping vt (14c) 1 a: to catch or take in or as if in a trap: entrap b: to place in a restricted position: confine "trapped in the burning wreck"
2: to provide or set (a place) with traps 3 a: stop, hold "these mountains ~ rains and fogs generated over the ocean --Amer. Guide Series: Calif." b: to separate out (as water from steam)
4. a: to catch (as a baseball) immediately after a bounce b: to block out (a defensive football player) by means of a trap ~ vi: to engage in trapping animals (as for furs) syn see catch -- trap.per n [3]trap vt trapped ; trap.ping [ME trappen, fr. trappe cloth, perh. modif. of MF drap--more at drab] (14c): to adorn with or as if with trappings [4]trap n [Sw trapp, fr. trappa stair, fr. MLG trappe; akin to MD trappe stair] (1794): traprock