Contextualizebeta

entrapment

noun
/ɪnˈtɹæpmənt/

Etymology

From entrap + -ment.

  1. derived from entraper
  2. borrowed from entrapper
  3. suffixed as entrapment — “entrap + ment”

Definitions

  1. The state of being entrapped.

    • The entrapment of the victims in the wreckage made rescue difficult.
    • Bowen talked of the entrapment of parenting, the anxiety that makes some women feel they are never free again: "We're forever waiting for the other shoe to drop, all the while trying to have a life."
    • Entrapments in lifts were also on the increase, with an 18% increase across the most recent reporting period (2024-2025).

  2. Action by law enforcement personnel to lead an otherwise innocent person to commit a…

    Action by law enforcement personnel to lead an otherwise innocent person to commit a crime, in order to arrest and prosecute that person for the crime.

    • A detective asking you to buy illegal marijuana for a dying man would be police entrapment.

  3. A method of isolating specific cells or molecules from a mixture, especially by…

    A method of isolating specific cells or molecules from a mixture, especially by immobilization on a gel.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for entrapment. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA