trap

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English treppe & Anglo-French trape (of Germanic origin); akin to Middle Dutch trappe trap, stair, Old English treppan to tread Date: before 12th century 1. a device for taking game or other animals; especially one that holds by springing shut suddenly 2. a. something by which one is caught or stopped unawares; also a position or situation from which it is difficult or impossible to escape b. a football play in which a defensive player is allowed to cross the line of scrimmage and then is blocked from the side while the ballcarrier advances through the spot vacated by the defensive player c. the act or an instance of trapping the ball in soccer d. a defensive maneuver in basketball in which two defenders converge quickly on the ball handler to steal the ball or force a bad pass 3. a. a device for hurling clay pigeons into the air b. sand trap c. a piece of leather or section of interwoven leather straps between the thumb and index finger of a baseball glove that forms an extension of the pocket 4. slang mouth 5. a light usually one-horse carriage with springs 6. any of various devices for preventing passage of something often while allowing other matter to proceed; especially 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 7. plural a group of percussion instruments (as a bass drum, snare drums, and cymbals) used especially in a dance or jazz band 8. an arrangement of rock strata that favors the accumulation of oil and gas 9. plural [speed trap] a measured stretch of a course over which electronic timing devices measure the speed of a vehicle (as a racing car or dragster) II. verb (trapped; trapping) Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. to catch or take in or as if in a trap ; entrap b. to place in a restricted position ; confine <

trapped in the burning wreck

> 2. to provide or set (a place) with traps 3. a. stop, hold <

these mountains trap rains and fogs generated over the ocean — American Guide Series: California

> b. to separate out (as water from steam) 4. a. to catch (as a baseball) immediately after a bounce b. to block out (a defensive football player) by means of a trap c. to stop and gain control of (a soccer ball) with a part of the body other than the hands or arms intransitive verb 1. to engage in trapping animals (as for furs) 2. to make a defensive trap in basketball Synonyms: see catch • trapper noun III. transitive verb (trapped; trapping) Etymology: Middle English trappen, from trappe caparison, from Anglo-French trape, probably from Medieval Latin trapus cloth, by-form of Late Latin drappus Date: 14th century to adorn with or as if with trappings IV. noun Etymology: Swedish trapp, from trappa stair, from Middle Low German trappe; akin to Middle Dutch trappe stair Date: 1794 traprock