Etymology : Middle English, from Old English treppe and Old French trape ; akin to Middle Dutch trappe trap, stair, Old English treppan to tread
Pronunciation : 'trap
Function : noun
Date : before 12th century
1. clay pigeon.
2. device used for capturing; device used for containing; snare; action which can capture; plumbing arrangement for maintaining a fluid barrier to prevent the passage of sewage gases; (Slang) mouth. capture, contain, snare. to sell drugs. gas trap.
3. To dress with ornaments; to adorn; said especially of horses.
4. An old term rather loosely used to designate various dark-colored, heavy igneous rocks, including especially the feldspathic- augitic rocks, basalt, dolerite, amygdaloid, etc., but including also some kinds of diorite.
5. Called also trap rock.
6. Of or pertaining to trap rock; as, a trap dike.
7. A machine or contrivance that shuts suddenly, as with a spring, used for taking game or other animals; as, a trap for foxes.
8. Fig.: A snare; an ambush; a stratagem; any device by which one may be caught unawares.
9. A wooden instrument shaped somewhat like a shoe, used in the game of trapball.
10. It consists of a pivoted arm on one end of which is placed the ball to be thrown into the air by striking the other end.
11. Also, a machine for throwing into the air glass balls, clay pigeons, etc., to be shot at.
12. The game of trapball.
13. A bend, sag, or partitioned chamber, in a drain, soil pipe, sewer, etc., arranged so that the liquid contents form a seal which prevents passage of air or gas, but permits the flow of liquids.
14. A place in a water pipe, pump, etc., where air accumulates for want of an outlet.
15. A wagon, or other vehicle.
16. A kind of movable stepladder.
17. To catch in a trap or traps; as, to trap foxes.
18. Fig.: To insnare; to take by stratagem; to entrap.
19. To provide with a trap; as, to trap a drain; to trap a sewer pipe.
20. See 4th Trap, 5.
21. To set traps for game; to make a business of trapping game; as, to trap for beaver. a device in which something can be caught and penned a light two-wheeled carriage a device to hurl clay pigeons into the air for trapshooters drain consisting of a U-shaped section of drainpipe that holds liquid and so prevents a return flow of sewer gas informal terms for the mouth something that catches you unawares; "the exam was full of trap questions"; "it was all a snare and delusion" to hold fast or prevent from moving; "The child was pinned under the fallen tree" catch in or as if in a trap; "The men trap foxes" hold or catch as if in a trap; "The gaps between the teeth trap food particles" place in a confining or embarrassing position; "He was trapped in a difficult situation".
22. trapshooting.
23. 1. A trap is a device which is placed somewhere or a hole which is dug somewhere in order to catch animals or birds.
24. If a person traps animals or birds, he or she catches them using traps. The locals were encouraged to trap and kill the birds.
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. To trap someone, especially a criminal, means to capture them. The police knew that to trap the killer they had to play him at his own game.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. 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. see also:
trapped, booby-trap, death trap, poverty trap.
31. 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.
32. 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. = shut up. To furnish with trappings. Any of several dark, fine-grained igneous rocks often used in making roads.