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

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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
Rousseff was impeached for accounting maneuvering in 2016 amid a sprawling corruption probe, which also ensnared Lula. — Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026 The dragnet also ensnared countless ordinary citizens like my father. — Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026 The restriction has also ensnared the country’s interceptors to stop Russia’s drones, causing Ukraine to warn that the Starshield throttling risks civilian lives. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026 Even leftist lawmakers support to some of those ideas in the wake of a corruption scandal that ensnared the court. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 Related Articles Among the objects ensnared in the proceedings are roughly 30 Indigenous artifacts, including baskets, moccasins, textiles, and bone carvings. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 20 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ensnared
  1. trapped
  2. tangled
  3. bound
  4. enslaved
Adjective
  • The male driver became trapped inside the vehicle and had to be removed by emergency personnel.
    — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Meet Helios Quantinuum builds what are called trapped ion quantum computers.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of trapped
Verb
  • The costly dispute instead stretched for almost a decade, becoming tangled up with the War of the Austrian Succession.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Besides the challenge of rebuilding the tunnel, the railroad has been tangled for several years in legal disputes with the city of Fort Bragg and the California Coastal Commission.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 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
  • Her path crosses with that of Inocência, an enslaved Black woman who possesses healing knowledge, knows the land, and devises her own strategies of resistance.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Ten Southern state legislatures endorsed the idea by passing laws that allowed the freeing of an enslaved person only when deportation out of the state was arranged and paid for.
    — Karen Masterson, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 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 28 Oct. 2026.

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