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TRAP DEFINITIONS - 1 definition found
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary trap (traps, trapping, trapped) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A trap is a device which is placed somewhere or a hole which is dug somewhere in order to catch animals or birds. N-COUNT 2. If a person traps animals or birds, he or she catches them using traps. The locals were encouraged to trap and kill the birds. VERB: V n 3. A trap is a trick that is intended to catch or deceive someone. He was trying to decide whether the question was some sort of a trap. N-COUNT 4. If you trap someone into doing or saying something, you trick them so that they do or say it, although they did not want to. Were you just trying to trap her into making some admission?... She had trapped him so neatly that he wanted to slap her. VERB: V n into -ing/n, V n 5. To trap someone, especially a criminal, means to capture them. (JOURNALISM) The police knew that to trap the killer they had to play him at his own game... VERB: V n 6. A trap is an unpleasant situation that you cannot easily escape from. The Government has found it's caught in a trap of its own making. N-COUNT: usu sing 7. If you are trapped somewhere, something falls onto you or blocks your way and prevents you from moving or escaping. The train was trapped underground by a fire... The light aircraft then cartwheeled, trapping both men... Until he saw the trapped wagons and animals, he did not realize the full extent of the catastrophe. VERB: be V-ed, V n, V-ed 8. When something traps gas, water, or energy, it prevents it from escaping. Wool traps your body heat, keeping the chill at bay... The volume of gas trapped on these surfaces can be considerable. VERB: V n, V-ed 9. see also trapped, booby-trap, death trap, poverty trap 10. If someone falls into the trap of doing something, they think or behave in a way which is not wise or sensible. Many people fall into the trap of believing that home decorating must always be done on a large scale... PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR of -ing 11. If someone tells you to shut your trap or keep your trap shut, they are telling you rudely that you should be quiet and not say anything. (INFORMAL, RUDE) = shut up PHRASE: V inflects |
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