ensnare

verb

en·​snare in-ˈsner 

en-

ensnared; ensnaring; ensnares

transitive verb

: to take in or as if in a snare

Synonyms

• catch up
• enmesh
• immesh
• ensnarl
• entangle
• entoil
• entrap
• mesh
• net
• snare
• tangle
• trap

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 and snare apply more commonly to physical seizing.

trap animals

snared butterflies with a net

entrap and ensnare more often are figurative.

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

Mischief was found ensnared in Sebastian Inlet in October 2023 and was taken in by the Brevard Zoo. —Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2025

Rogers, then-Butler County Auditor, was a republican in southwest Ohio when an investigation into public corruption ensnared her and others in a fraud investigation. —Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025

Grim and hypnotic, Longlegs evokes a nightmare state, and the end reveals how Harker’s entire life has been ensnared by these (literal) demons. —Beatrice Loayza, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2025

Then she was ensnared by an appeals process that would rather kill her than address the corruption that had led to her conviction. —Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ensnare

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

Kids Definition

ensnare

verb

en·​snare in-ˈsna(ə)r 

-ˈsne(ə)r

: snare entry 2 sense 1, entrap