Ask Difference

Surprise vs. Trap — What's the Difference?

By Tayyaba Rehman — Published on October 23, 2023
Surprise refers to an unexpected or astonishing event, while Trap means a device or situation planned to catch or deceive someone. The former is unforeseen; the latter is intentional.

Difference Between Surprise and Trap

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Key Differences

The emotional responses to Surprise and Trap are also notably different. A surprise can lead to feelings of joy or shock, depending on the nature and context of the unexpected event. The discovery of a trap, however, predominantly incites feelings of betrayal and wariness, given its inherent deceptive and harmful nature.
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Oct 23, 2023
In conclusion, Surprise generally refers to unforeseen events or emotions that can be either positive or negative, while Trap usually denotes intentionally deceptive setups designed to capture or deceive, typically carrying negative implications.
Tayyaba Rehman
Oct 23, 2023
While Surprise can be used to describe spontaneous and unplanned events or feelings, Trap usually implies a degree of planning and intentionality. A surprise may occur naturally without human intervention, such as a sudden rain shower surprising a hiker. A trap, conversely, is typically set deliberately, like a mousetrap placed to catch mice.
Tayyaba Rehman
Oct 23, 2023
Surprise and Trap have differing connotations and applications in language. Surprise is a versatile word, typically representing an unforeseen or unexpected event or emotion, generally evoking astonishment or shock. It can be either positive, like a surprise party, or negative, like an unexpected obstacle. Trap, on the other hand, conveys the idea of an intentional and usually deceptive setup to catch or detain someone or something, generally carrying a negative connotation, as it often implies harm or confinement.
Tayyaba Rehman
Oct 23, 2023
Surprise is often transient, occurring unexpectedly and passing quickly once the surprising element is revealed. Traps, however, tend to have a lingering presence, remaining in place until they are triggered or discovered. The residual effects of a trap can also extend beyond its discovery, as it may create lasting mistrust or caution.
Tayyaba Rehman
Oct 23, 2023
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Comparison Chart

Definition

An unexpected or astonishing event or emotion
A device or situation planned to catch or deceive someone
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Intentionality

Typically unforeseen and spontaneous
Involves planning and is usually intentional
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Emotional Response

Can evoke joy or shock, depending on the context
Typically induces feelings of betrayal and wariness
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Duration and Impact

Often transient, with effects dissipating after revelation
May have lingering presence and create lasting mistrust
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Connotation

Can be positive or negative, depending on the situation
Generally carries negative connotations of deception and harm
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Definitions

Surprise

Something that catches one off guard.
The twist in the movie’s plot was a pleasant surprise.
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Trap

A device designed to catch or restrain animals.
He set a trap to catch the fox raiding the henhouse.
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Surprise

A sudden attack or move against an enemy.
The army conducted a surprise raid against the rebel camp.
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Trap

A situation or scheme designed to deceive or catch unawares.
The investment opportunity turned out to be a trap to swindle money.
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Surprise

An unexpected or unforeseen event.
The sudden hailstorm was a nasty surprise.
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Trap

A fixture for draining water.
The plumber fixed the blockage in the sink trap.
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Surprise

To cause to feel wonder, astonishment, or amazement, as at something unanticipated
Thinking I was at home, she was surprised to see me in the office. We were surprised that he could recover so quickly.
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Trap

A defensive play in sports designed to catch the opponent off guard.
The basketball team executed a trap to regain possession of the ball.
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Surprise

To encounter or discover suddenly or unexpectedly; take or catch unawares
She surprised him as he was reading her diary.
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Trap

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

To attack or capture suddenly and without warning
Surprised the sentries in a predawn raid, wounding several.
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Trap

A stratagem for catching or tricking an unwary person.
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Surprise

To cause (someone) to do or say something unintended or to be in an unintended condition
"There passed a scene ... that surprised me into courage to come forward" (Fanny Burney).
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Trap

A confining or undesirable circumstance from which escape or relief is difficult:fell into poverty's trap.
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Surprise

To elicit or detect through surprise
"She occasionally surprised a look on Jemima's face" (Marcia Willett).
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Trap

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.
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Surprise

The act of surprising or the condition of being surprised
Imagine my surprise on seeing you here.
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Trap

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

Something, such as an unexpected encounter, event, or gift, that surprises.
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Trap

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

Something unexpected.
It was a surprise to find out I owed twice as much as I thought I did.
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Trap

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

The feeling that something unexpected has happened.
Imagine my surprise on learning I owed twice as much as I thought I did.
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Trap

(Baseball)See web.
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Surprise

(transitive) To cause (someone) to feel unusually alarmed or delighted by something unexpected.
It surprises me that I owe twice as much as I thought I did.
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Trap

A defensive strategy or play, as in basketball or hockey, in which two or more defenders converge on an offensive player shortly after the player gains possession of the ball or puck.
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Surprise

(transitive) To do something to (a person) that they are not expecting, as a surprise.
He doesn’t know that I’m in the country – I thought I’d turn up at his house and surprise him.
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Trap

The act of trapping a soccer ball.
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Surprise

(intransitive) To undergo or witness something unexpected.
He doesn’t surprise easily.
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Trap

(Football)A running play in which the ball carrier advances through a hole in the defensive line created by allowing a defensive lineman to penetrate the backfield.
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Surprise

(intransitive) To cause surprise.
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Trap

A light two-wheeled carriage with springs.
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Surprise

(transitive) To attack unexpectedly.
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Trap

A trapdoor.
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Surprise

(transitive) To take unawares.
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Trap

Traps(Music)Percussion instruments, such as snare drums and cymbals, especially in a jazz band.
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Surprise

The act of coming upon, or taking, unawares; the act of seizing unexpectedly; surprisal; as, the fort was taken by surprise.
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Trap

(Slang)The human mouth.
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Surprise

The state of being surprised, or taken unawares, by some act or event which could not reasonably be foreseen; emotion excited by what is sudden and strange; a suddenly excited feeling of wonder or astonishment.
Pure surprise and fearMade me to quit the house.
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Trap

Often traps Personal belongings or household goods.
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Surprise

Anything that causes such a state or emotion.
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Trap

Any of several dark, fine-grained igneous rocks often used in making roads.
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Surprise

A dish covered with a crust of raised paste, but with no other contents.
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Trap

To catch in a trap; ensnare.
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Surprise

To come or fall suddenly and unexpectedly; to take unawares; to seize or capture by unexpected attack.
Fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites.
The castle of Macduff I will surprise.
Who can speakThe mingled passions that surprised his heart?
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Trap

To prevent from escaping or getting free:was trapped in the locked attic.
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Surprise

To strike with wonder, astonishment, or confusion, by something sudden, unexpected, or remarkable; to confound; as, his conduct surprised me.
I am surprised with an uncouth fear.
Up he starts,Discovered and surprised.
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Trap

To deceive or trick by means of a scheme or plan.
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Surprise

To lead (one) to do suddenly and without forethought; to bring (one) into some unexpected state; - with into; as, to be surprised into an indiscretion; to be surprised into generosity.
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Trap

To seal off (gases) by a trap.
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Surprise

To hold possession of; to hold.
Not with me,That in my hands surprise the sovereignity.
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Trap

To furnish with traps or a trap.
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Surprise

The astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
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Trap

To catch (a ball) immediately after it has hit the ground.
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Surprise

A sudden unexpected event
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Trap

To gain control of (a moving soccer ball) by allowing it to hit and bounce off a part of the body other than the arm or hand.
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Surprise

The act of surprising someone
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Trap

To set traps for game.
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Surprise

Cause to be surprised;
The news really surprised me
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Trap

To engage in trapping furbearing animals.
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Surprise

Come upon or take unawares;
She surprised the couple
He surprised an interesting scene
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Trap

To furnish with trappings.
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Surprise

Attack by storm; attack suddenly
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Trap

A machine or other device designed to catch (and sometimes kill) animals, either by holding them in a container, or by catching hold of part of the body.
I put down some traps in my apartment to try and deal with the mouse problem.
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Surprise

A feeling of astonishment caused by something unexpected.
His sudden appearance was a big surprise to everyone.
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Trap

A trick or arrangement designed to catch someone in a more general sense; a snare.
Unfortunately she fell into the trap of confusing biology with destiny.
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Surprise

An unplanned or spontaneous occurrence.
A surprise test left the students scrambling for answers.
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Trap

A covering over a hole or opening; a trapdoor.
Close the trap, would you, before someone falls and breaks their neck.
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Trap

A kind of movable stepladder or set of stairs.
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Trap

A wooden instrument shaped somewhat like a shoe, used in the game of trapball.
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Trap

The game of trapball itself.
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Trap

Any device used to hold and suddenly release an object.
They shot out of the school gates like greyhounds out of the trap.
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Trap

A bend, sag, or other device in a waste-pipe arranged so that the liquid contents form a seal which prevents the escape of noxious gases, but permits the flow of liquids.
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Trap

A place in a water pipe, pump, etc., where air accumulates for lack of an outlet.
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Trap

A successful landing on an aircraft carrier using the carrier's arresting gear.
After 100 traps, the arresting cables have to be replaced to minimize the danger of a worn or fatigued cable snapping under an aircraft.
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Trap

(historical) A light two-wheeled carriage with springs.
A horse and trap
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Trap

(slang) A person's mouth.
Keep your trap shut.
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Trap

A policeman.
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Trap

(in the plural) Belongings.
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Trap

(slang) A cubicle (in a public toilet).
I've just laid a cable in trap 2 so I'd give it 5 minutes if I were you.
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Trap

(sports) Trapshooting.
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Trap

(geology) A geological structure that creates a petroleum reservoir.
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Trap

(computing) An exception generated by the processor or by an external event.
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Trap

A mining license inspector during the Australian gold rush.
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Trap

A vehicle, residential building, or sidewalk corner where drugs are manufactured, packaged, or sold.
Trap phone
Trap car
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Trap

Someone who is anatomically male but who passes as female.
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Trap

A fictional character from anime, or related media, who is coded as or has qualities typically associated with a gender other than the character's ostensible gender; otokonoko, josou.
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Trap

A genre of hip-hop music, with half-time drums and heavy sub-bass.
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Trap

The money earned by a prostitute for a pimp.
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Trap

An area, especially of a city, with a low level of opportunity and a high level of poverty and crime; a ghetto; a hood.
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Trap

A dark coloured igneous rock, now used to designate any non-granitic igneous rock; trap rock.
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Trap

The trapezius muscle.
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Trap

(transitive) To physically capture, to catch in a trap or traps, or something like a trap.
To trap foxes
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Trap

(transitive) To ensnare; to take by stratagem; to entrap.
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Trap

(transitive) To provide with a trap.
To trap a drain
To trap a sewer pipe
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Trap

(intransitive) To set traps for game; to make a business of trapping game.
Trap for beaver
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Trap

To successfully land an aircraft on an aircraft carrier using the carrier's arresting gear.
After three consecutive bolters, the pilot finally trapped successfully on the Nimitz.
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Trap

(intransitive) To leave suddenly, to flee.
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Trap

To sell illegal drugs, especially in a public area.
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Trap

To capture (e.g. an error) in order to handle or process it.
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Trap

To attend to and open and close a (trap-)door.
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Trap

Of a 'trap': to trick a (heterosexual) man into having sex, by appearing to be a woman.
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Trap

To dress with ornaments; to adorn (especially said of horses).
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Trap

To dress with ornaments; to adorn; - said especially of horses.
Steeds . . . that trapped were in steel all glittering.
To deck his hearse, and trap his tomb-black steed.
There she found her palfrey trapped In purple blazoned with armorial gold.
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Trap

To catch in a trap or traps; as, to trap foxes.
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Trap

Fig.: To insnare; to take by stratagem; to entrap.
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Trap

To provide with a trap; as, to trap a drain; to trap a sewer pipe. See 4th Trap, 5.
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Trap

To set traps for game; to make a business of trapping game; as, to trap for beaver.
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Trap

An old term rather loosely used to designate various dark-colored, heavy igneous rocks, including especially the feldspathic-augitic rocks, basalt, dolerite, amygdaloid, etc., but including also some kinds of diorite. Called also trap rock.
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Trap

A machine or contrivance that shuts suddenly, as with a spring, used for taking game or other animals; as, a trap for foxes.
She would weep if that she saw a mouseCaught in a trap.
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Jan 29, 2023

Trap

Fig.: A snare; an ambush; a stratagem; any device by which one may be caught unawares.
Let their table be made a snare and a trap.
God and your majestyProtect mine innocence, or I fall intoThe trap is laid for me!
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Trap

A wooden instrument shaped somewhat like a shoe, used in the game of trapball. It consists of a pivoted arm on one end of which is placed the ball to be thrown into the air by striking the other end. Also, a machine for throwing into the air glass balls, clay pigeons, etc., to be shot at.
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Trap

The game of trapball.
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Trap

A bend, sag, or partitioned chamber, in a drain, soil pipe, sewer, etc., arranged so that the liquid contents form a seal which prevents passage of air or gas, but permits the flow of liquids.
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Trap

A place in a water pipe, pump, etc., where air accumulates for want of an outlet.
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Trap

A wagon, or other vehicle.
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Trap

A kind of movable stepladder.
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Trap

Of or pertaining to trap rock; as, a trap dike.
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Trap

A device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
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Trap

Drain consisting of a U-shaped section of drainpipe that holds liquid and so prevents a return flow of sewer gas
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Trap

Something (often something deceptively attractive) that catches you unawares;
The exam was full of trap questions
It was all a snare and delusion
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Trap

A device to hurl clay pigeons into the air for trapshooters
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Trap

The act of concealing yourself and lying in wait to attack by surprise
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Trap

Informal terms for the mouth
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Trap

A light two-wheeled carriage
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Trap

A hazard on a golf course
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Trap

Place in a confining or embarrassing position;
He was trapped in a difficult situation
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Trap

Catch in or as if in a trap;
The men trap foxes
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Trap

Hold or catch as if in a trap;
The gaps between the teeth trap food particles
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Trap

To hold fast or prevent from moving;
The child was pinned under the fallen tree
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Trap

A precarious or difficult situation from which escape is hard.
After taking the loan, he found himself in a financial trap.
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FAQs

Is a Trap always negative?

Trap generally carries negative connotations, but the term can be neutral in some contexts, like a water trap in plumbing.
Tayyaba Rehman
Oct 23, 2023

Is every Surprise unplanned?

For the person experiencing it, a surprise is usually unplanned, but it might be carefully planned by others.
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Oct 23, 2023

Can Surprise be a positive experience?

Yes, Surprise can be positive, like a surprise gift or party.
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Is a Trap only physical?

No, Trap can also refer to metaphorical or situational traps, like a trap in a deceptive agreement.
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Oct 23, 2023

Can Surprise describe a feeling?

Yes, Surprise can describe a feeling of astonishment or shock at something unexpected.
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Oct 23, 2023

Do Surprise and Trap have similar meanings?

No, Surprise refers to unexpected events or emotions, while Trap denotes intentionally deceptive setups.
Tayyaba Rehman
Oct 23, 2023

Can a Trap be unintentional?

A Trap usually implies intentionality, but people might inadvertently create situations that act as traps.
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Oct 23, 2023

Can Surprise be used as a verb?

Yes, Surprise can be used as a verb, as in "He surprised her with flowers."
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Oct 23, 2023

Is a Trap always visible?

No, some traps are concealed or disguised to better deceive or catch someone or something.
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Author Spotlight

Written by
Tayyaba Rehman
Tayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.

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