What does "mousetrap" mean?
A device for capturing or killing mice and other rodents.
Mousetrap
/ˈmaʊsˌtɹæp/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A device for capturing or killing mice and other rodents.
- Grammar: mousetrap is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: baited trap, bazooka, booby trap, calliope.
- Usage evidence: Man invented the atomic bomb, but no mouse would ever have thought to build a mousetrap!
How to use "mousetrap"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mousetrap" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "mousetrap" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "mousetrap" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mousetrap" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mousetrap" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "baited trap" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "mousetrap", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A device for capturing or killing mice and other rodents. countable
- 2 (American football) a play in which a defensive player is allowed to cross the line of scrimmage and then blocked off as the runner goes through the place the lineman vacated wordnet
- 3 A website designed to open another copy of itself when the user tries to close the webpage. Internet, countable
- 4 a trap for catching mice wordnet
- 5 Ordinary, everyday cheese. British, informal, uncountable
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A slice of bread or toast topped with cheese and then grilled or microwaved. New-Zealand, countable, uncountable
- 7 An antisubmarine rocket used mainly during World War II by the US Navy and US Coast Guard. countable, historical, uncountable
"Besides depth charges, they were armed with smaller forward firing antisubmarine rocket launchers called mousetraps. Fired in groups, these rockets detonated when they contacted a submarine."
Verb
- 1 To trap; to trick or fool (someone) into a bad situation. figuratively, transitive
"He hoped to bring the rebels out of their trenches for a showdown battle somewhere south of the Wilderness, that gloomy expanse of scrub oaks and pines where Lee had mousetrapped Joe Hooker exactly a year earlier."
- 2 To prevent (the user) from leaving a website by opening another copy when it is closed. Internet, transitive
"The scammer is paid for each new visitor directed to his site. There is nothing wrong except that the user finds it impossible to leave the site because he is mousetrapped."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Man invented the atomic bomb, but no mouse would ever have thought to build a mousetrap!"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mousetrap"?
Common synonyms include: baited trap, bazooka, booby trap, calliope, deadfall, deathtrap.
How do you use "mousetrap" in a sentence?
Man invented the atomic bomb, but no mouse would ever have thought to build a mousetrap!
How do you pronounce "mousetrap"?
Pronounced /ˈmaʊsˌtɹæp/.
Etymology
From Middle English mouse-trappe, mous trappe, mouse trape, equivalent to mouse + trap. Cognate with Dutch muizetrap, muizentrap (“mousetrap”), German Low German Muustrappe, Muustrapp (“mousetrap”). In the Internet sense, refers to a computer mouse.