ensnare
verb
transitive verb
Synonyms
- catch up
- enmesh
- immesh
- ensnarl
- entangle
- entoil
- entrap
- mesh
- net
- snare
- tangle
- trap
Example Sentences
Regine Cabato, Washington Post, 16 June 2022 Instead of enacting reforms to streamline the bureaucracy, some Democratic lawmakers want to ensnare it in even more red tape. Sally Pipes, Forbes, 18 July 2022 Mary watched the disinformation ensnare her family. Regine Cabato, Washington Post, 16 June 2022 Mary watched the disinformation ensnare her family. Regine Cabato, Washington Post, 16 June 2022 In the case of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act too, Shein’s model of shipping low-value packages directly to consumers could help save the startup from a crackdown that’s likely to ensnare boatloads of Chinese goods. Yvonne Lau, Fortune, 20 June 2022 Mary watched the disinformation ensnare her family. Michael E. Miller And Regine Cabato, Anchorage Daily News, 20 June 2022 That can be a risky proposition, as creators face a near-constant battle against platform moderation efforts that can sometimes ensnare people who are not violating a company’s rules. Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 17 June 2022 The cost of buying special rope designed to sink, so as not to ensnare right whales, is adding up for Jon Williams, a fisherman in New Bedford who owns 14 boats that catch lobster, crab and hagfish. Dino Grandoni, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
1576, in the meaning defined above
ensnare
verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- trap
- tangle
- entrap
- enmesh
- entangle
- snare
- net
- mesh
- involve
- capture
- ensnarl
- catch up
- implicate
- immesh
- entoil
- embroil
- birdlime
- collar
- mire
- bag
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- disentangle
- extricate
- detach
- disengage
- liberate
- untangle
- free
- clear
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of ensnare are bag, capture, catch, entrap, snare, and trap. While all these words mean "to come to possess or control by or as if by seizing," 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.
While in some cases nearly identical to ensnare, bag implies shooting down a fleeing or distant prey.
In some situations, the words capture and ensnare are roughly equivalent. However, capture suggests taking by overcoming resistance or difficulty.
Although the words catch and ensnare have much in common, catch implies the seizing of something in motion or in flight or in hiding.
Both entrap and ensnare more often are figurative.