noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A large trap used to catch a bear or other mammal, usually as a foot trap.
2. 2
   A radar trap used by police to catch speeders.
3. 3
   A device that traps a probe on a rotorcraft, securing it to the helicopter deck of a vessel.
4. 4
   A system of rotorcraft recovery aboard watercraft in heavy sea states, which uses the beartrap device to land securely and transport the aircraft into the hangar.

Etymology

From bear + trap.

Related phrases

bear-trap dambeartrap gate

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.