I. ˈtrap noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English trap, trappe, from Old English treppe, træppe & Old French trape (of Germanic origin); akin to Middle Dutch trappe trap, step, stairs, Middle High German trappe, treppe step, stairs, Middle Low German & Middle Dutch trappen to stamp, Old English treppan to tread, Lithuanian drebeti to shake, quiver, Sanskrit dravati he runs, melts; basic meaning: running, tripping
1.
a. : a device (as a pitfall, snare, or clamp that springs shut suddenly) for taking game or destructive animals : gin
sets his traps along the river
caught like a rat in a trap
b.
(1) : fish trap
(2) : lobster pot
c. : trap crop
2. : something by which one is unsuspectingly or deceptively caught or stopped in an action or progress
the Indians could be superb fighters … adepts at traps and ambushes — Seth Agnew
prepared defensive traps for his opponent's attacks — G.A.Craig
with traps and obstacles … confronting us on every hand — B.N.Cardozo
expensive traps for ignorant tourists — Ann Leighton
3.
a.
(1) : a hinged or collapsible door or cover of an enclosed space or pit designed to give way when walked on
(2) : drop 3c
b. : any of various covered openings constructed in the floor of a stage for the passage of persons or scenery ; also : a device or machinery used to effect such a passage
4.
a.
(1) : a wooden instrument used in playing trapball and consisting of a pivoted arm on one end of which is placed the ball to be thrown into the air by striking the other end
(2) : a similar device used in knur and spell
b. : a device for hurling clay pigeons into the air
c. : sand trap 2
d. : the act or an instance of stopping or catching a ball close to or against the ground
e. : mousetrap 2a
f. : tilt II 6
g. : a piece of leather webbing laced between the thumb and forefinger of a baseball glove to form a pocket for receiving the ball
5.
a. Britain : deceit , trickery
a clever, ready-witted fellow, up to all sorts of trap — Samuel Lover
b. Britain : policeman , detective
c. slang : mouth
shut your trap and listen — Richard Llewellyn
6. : a light often sporty 2- or 4-wheeled horse-drawn carriage accommodating usually 2 to 4 persons in various seating arrangements (as face-to-face or back-to-back)
7. : any of various devices for preventing the passage of something often while allowing other matter to proceed: as
a. : 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
b. : steam trap
c. : a device to separate sand and silt from flowing water
d. : a place in a water pipe or pump where something (as an air pocket) is held or retained
e. : a device to catch mercury or amalgam escaping from amalgamation plates
f. : a usually sharply tuned circuit consisting of either conventional coils and condensers or transmission lines to eliminate an unwanted signal
g. : a site of imperfection in the crystal structure of a solid at which otherwise mobile electrons and holes can be confined or trapped often more or less temporarily
8. : smash 2b
9.
a. : a percussion instrument — usually used in plural
likes to play the traps
has a set of traps
b. traps plural : the group of percussion instruments especially in a dance or theater orchestra
10. : the degree to which printing ink will trap
the sample definitely indicates poor trap … due to improper tackiness of the inks, one printing over the other — Graphic Arts Monthly
II. verb
( trapped or archaic trapt ; trapped or archaic trapt ; trapping ; traps )
Etymology: Middle English trappen, from trap, trappe trap
transitive verb
1.
a. : to catch or take in or as if in a trap or snare by skill, craft, or trickery : entrap , ensnare
traps muskrats in the fall of the year
trap wasps in a jar containing beer and treacle — F.D.Smith & Barbara Wilcox
trapped him … by forcing him to follow her into her home — Harrison Smith
avoids the danger of being trapped upon cross-examination — Paul Wilson
b. : to place (as a person) in a restricted or difficult position : confine , entangle
the crash tools … useful in freeing persons trapped or imprisoned in a wrecked airplane — H.G.Armstrong
those with food … share with the utterly trapped — Wallace Stegner
trapped in a series of events over which he has no control — William Murray
a story of people trapped in a criminal situation through their weakness rather than sin — David Dempsey
— sometimes used with into
his reliance on feeling … frequently trapped him into absurdities and muddleheadedness — F.B.Millett
c. : to induce (an opponent) usually by passing to bid or bet unwisely in a card game
2. : to provide or set (a place) with traps: as
a. : to set (a place or area) with traps to catch an animal or a person
had a permit from the mortgage company to trap its lands — H.L.Davis
has the place trapped with all sorts of burglar alarms — Erle Stanley Gardner
b. : to install a trap in (as a drain)
the law usually requires that drains be trapped
c. : to construct traps on (as a golf course)
the greens are heavily trapped — New Yorker
3. : to separate out : stop , hold
these mountains trap rains and fogs generated over the ocean — American Guide Series: California
a scheme which traps sunlight and turns it into motive power — English Digest
4.
a. : to stop or catch (as a soccer ball or baseball) immediately after a bounce
b. : to catch (as a base runner) off base
traps many runners with his quick pick-off throw
c. : mousetrap
one of the big problems we had on offense was trapping the guards — Bob Hicks
5. : to accept (superimposed ink often of another color) during a subsequent printing
6. : trapnest
intransitive verb
1. : to set traps for game ; also : to make a business of trapping animals
began to trap for a living — R.L.Neuberger
2. : to become trapped (as steam in a radiator)
3. : to employ tactics in a card game designed to trap another player
Synonyms: see catch
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English trappe, modification (probably influenced by Old Spanish trapo cloth, modification of Late Latin drappus ) of Middle French drap cloth — more at drab
1. obsolete : an ornamented cloth covering especially for a horse : trapping — usually used in plural
2. traps plural : personal belongings : goods , luggage
put our little household traps into a freight car and went back — W.A.White
IV. transitive verb
( trapped ; trapped ; trapping ; traps )
Etymology: Middle English trappen, from trappe cloth, trap
: to clothe or provide with or as if with traps or trappings : caparison
horse trapped for battle — P.H.Davis
wrapped and trapped in their accouterments — Bruce Marshall
feathers in which she has trapped out that idea — Irish Digest
V. noun
also traprock ˈ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷
( -s )
Etymology: trap from Swedish trapp, from trappa stair, from Middle Low German trappe; akin to Middle Dutch trappe step, stair; traprock from trap (V) + rock; from its occurring in sheetlike masses that rise above one another like steps — more at trap (snare)
1. : any of various dark-colored fine-grained igneous rocks (as basalt or amygdaloid) used especially in road making
2. : an arrangement of rock strata involving their structural relations or varied lithology and texture that favors the accumulation of oil and gas
VI. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Dutch, from Middle Dutch trappe
Scotland : a movable flight of steps : stepladder
VII. noun
: a defensive maneuver in basketball in which two defenders converge quickly to block or guard the ball handler in order to steal the ball or force a passing error
• trap verb