TRAP


Meaning of TRAP in English

I. ˈtrap noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English treppe & Anglo-French trape (of Germanic origin); akin to Middle Dutch trappe trap, stair, Old English treppan to tread

Date: before 12th century

1. : a device for taking game or other animals ; especially : 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

c. : the act or an instance of trapping the ball in soccer

d. : a defensive maneuver in basketball in which two defenders converge quickly on the ball handler to steal the ball or force a bad pass

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 index finger of a baseball glove that forms an extension of the pocket

4. slang : mouth

5. : a light usually one-horse carriage with springs

6. : any of various devices for preventing passage of something often while allowing other matter to proceed ; especially : 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. plural : a group of percussion instruments (as a bass drum, snare drums, and cymbals) used especially in a dance or jazz band

8. : an arrangement of rock strata that favors the accumulation of oil and gas

9. plural

[ 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)

II. verb

( trapped ; trap·ping )

Date: 14th century

transitive verb

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 trap rains and fogs generated over the ocean — American Guide Series: California

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

c. : to stop and gain control of (a soccer ball) with a part of the body other than the hands or arms

intransitive verb

1. : to engage in trapping animals (as for furs)

2. : to make a defensive trap in basketball

Synonyms: see catch

• trap·per noun

III. transitive verb

( trapped ; trap·ping )

Etymology: Middle English trappen, from trappe caparison, from Anglo-French trape, probably from Medieval Latin trapus cloth, by-form of Late Latin drappus

Date: 14th century

: to adorn with or as if with trappings

IV. noun

Etymology: Swedish trapp, from trappa stair, from Middle Low German trappe; akin to Middle Dutch trappe stair

Date: 1794

: traprock

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.