mousetrap

1 of 2

noun

mouse·​trap ˈmau̇s-ˌtrap How to pronounce mousetrap (audio)
1
: a trap for mice
2
: a stratagem that lures one to defeat or destruction
3

mousetrap

2 of 2

verb

mousetrapped; mousetrapping; mousetraps

transitive verb

: to snare in or as if in a mousetrap

Examples of mousetrap in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
But if their previous pictures felt like ornate, twisted little mousetraps, The Devil’s Bath feels less precise, more cosmic. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 28 June 2024 Undeterred, Halpin and team endeavor to continue to build a better mousetrap. Steven Ehrlich, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
All of that seems to have been forgotten, though, in the rush to better mousetrap the category with extreme levels of brightness, unconventional form factors, solar charging, and other needless complication. Wes Siler, Outside Online, 9 Apr. 2020 See all Example Sentences for mousetrap 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1864, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mousetrap was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near mousetrap

Cite this Entry

“Mousetrap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mousetrap. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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