To catch someone in a trap or trick them into a situation they can't escape from.
From 'en-' (to cause to be) plus 'trap,' a Germanic word. The prefix intensifies the trapping action, suggesting deliberate entanglement rather than accidental catching.
Entrap has a legal meaning too—if police trick you into committing a crime you wouldn't have committed otherwise, that's 'entrapment,' a defense in court that shows how seriously we take the idea of not being deliberately deceived into bad behavior.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.