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ensnared; ensnaring; ensnares
: to take in or as if in a snare
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for ensnare
catch, capture, trap, snare, entrap, ensnare, bag mean to come to possess or control by or as if by seizing.
catch implies the seizing of something in motion or in flight or in hiding.
caught the dog as it ran by
capture suggests taking by overcoming resistance or difficulty.
capture an enemy stronghold
trap, snare, entrap, ensnare imply seizing by some device that holds the one caught at the mercy of the captor.
trap animals
snared butterflies with a net
entrapped the witness with a trick question
a sting operation that ensnared burglars
bag implies shooting down a fleeing or distant prey.
bagged a brace of pheasants
Examples of ensnare in a Sentence
The animals got ensnared in the net.
The police successfully ensnared the burglar.
Recent Examples on the Web
State of play: In the final days before Nov. 5, mail-in voting continues to be ensnared in legal battles across the country.
—Avery Lotz, Axios, 28 Oct. 2024
And, more than ever, there are too many District Attorneys who can’t wait to ensnare artists in their next gang indictment.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2024
The director's longtime collaborator Song Kang-ho stars as the proprietor of a small snack shop who — along with his eccentric family — becomes ensnared in an international cover-up when his daughter (Go Ah-sung) is snatched by a monstrous fish creature on the banks of the Han River in Seoul.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
Of particular concern has been how the case ensnared banks including Citigroup Inc., Standard Chartered Plc and DBS Group Holdings Ltd., and how the launderers managed to spend billions on assets including luxury property, handbags and gold bars.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune Asia, 4 Oct. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1576, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near ensnare
Cite this Entry
“Ensnare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ensnare. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
ensnare
verb
en·snare
in-ˈsna(ə)r
-ˈsne(ə)r
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