ensnared 1 of 2

adjective

as in trapped

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ensnared

2 of 2

verb

past tense of ensnare
as in tangled
to catch or hold as if in a net parked just out of view, the state trooper was lying in wait to ensnare unwary speeders

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ensnared
Verb
But the incumbent faces a tough battle because of an affordability crisis and a corruption scandal that ensnared the same justice who led the investigation into Bolsonaro. — Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026 Partners cannot tell which agreements will be ensnared in the next scandal, which encourages them to hedge. — Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026 Of course Charles would be suspicious of this pretty, educated girl who shows up out of nowhere, refuses to share what brought her here, and has clearly ensnared Adam. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 The white-hot brightness of Diana’s spotlight also ensnared her brother, Charles Spencer. — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026 Carrie Coon as a Holocaust survivor ensnared in a cult in The Liberation, the story of director Guy Nattiv’s own grandmother. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 The homeowner, Brett Bymaster, lauded officers for ending the chaotic situation swiftly and without any harm to his adult children, son-in-law, and young grandchildren who were unwittingly ensnared in the encounter. — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026 Abdeen was spared this round of scrutiny, but these leaders, and countless ordinary citizens, would be ensnared in the government’s new dragnet. — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026 Off the field, head coach Mike Vrabel was ensnared in controversy. — Jim Reineking, USA Today, 27 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ensnared
  1. trapped
  2. tangled
  3. bound
  4. enslaved
Adjective
  • The driver managed to escape with one dog while another remained trapped inside, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Both buyers and sellers remain trapped in a wait and see stance, further dragging on a US housing market that has been stagnant for nearly four years.
    — , CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of trapped
Verb
  • With Indiana holding a 90-79 lead late in the final period, Wilson got tangled up on the hardwood with Fever guard Sophie Cunningham following a physical foul.
    — Alejandro Avila , Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Pawlikowski’s mother and father, also named Zula and Wiktor, whose unmanageable love had kept them tangled and disentangled for decades, took their own lives in 1989, as the Cold War that had cast its chill upon their time was beginning to thaw.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of tangled
Adjective
  • The team checked this directly by computing how much of each galaxy's baryon budget actually stayed bound to the system.
    — Paul Sutter, Space.com, 9 June 2026
  • To help calculate a lower bound, Erdős assumed that the points would be laid out in a grid.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026
Definition of bound
Adjective
  • The Southern economy was underpinned by ports that traded in cotton, rice, sugar, tobacco – and enslaved people.
    — Ashley Walters, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Was the prevailing idea that enslaved people were sweet and innocent and docile and as giving and forgiving as Uncle Tom?
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of enslaved

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Cite this Entry

“Ensnared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ensnared. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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