trap

n.

1. A device to catch game or persons

   net, cul-de-sac, snare, mousetrap, deadfall, spring, pit, pitfall, blind, noose, trapfall, maneuver; see also ambush.

2. A trick

   prank, practical joke, snare; see trick 1.

trap, as applied to a device for capturing animals, specif. suggests a snapping device worked by a spring, pitfall, a concealed pit with a collapsible cover, and snare, a noose which jerks tight upon the release of a trigger; in extended senses, these words apply to any danger into which unsuspecting or unwary persons may fall, trap specifically suggesting a deliberate stratagem or ambush a speed trap, pitfall, a concealed danger, source of error, etc. the pitfalls of the law, and snare, enticement and entanglement the snares of love

trap

v.