trap

A contrivance for catching and holding animals, as a concealed pit or a clamplike device that springs shut suddenly.

A stratagem for catching or tricking an unwary person.

A confining or undesirable circumstance from which escape or relief is difficult.

A device for sealing a passage against the escape of gases, especially a U-shaped or S-shaped bend in a drainpipe that prevents the return flow of sewer gas by means of a water barrier.

A device that hurls clay pigeons into the air in trapshooting.

A land hazard or bunker on a golf course; a sand trap.

A measured length of roadway over which electronic timers register the speed of a racing vehicle, such as a dragster.