entrapment

Noun

entrapment (countable and uncountable, plural entrapments)

1. The state of being entrapped.
   • The entrapment of the victims in the wreckage made rescue difficult.
   • Bowen talked of the entrapment of parenting, the anxiety that makes some women feel they are never free again: "We're forever waiting for the other shoe to drop, all the while trying to have a life."1988 February 14, Louise Rice, “Confronting The Mythology Of Motherhood”, in Gay Community News, volume 15, number 30, page 7
2. Action by law enforcement personnel to lead an otherwise innocent person to commit a crime, in order to arrest and prosecute that person for the crime.
   • A detective asking you to buy illegal marijuana for a dying man would be police entrapment.
   • That’s right, Thailand actually has a buffoonish crown prince. And I understand why the Thai people are upset, because they have a law where you can get 15 years in jail for insulting the monarchy, and yet, they have a prince who featured in, and this is true, a video of a birthday party he threw...2014, Tim Carvell [et al.], “Dr. Oz and Nutritional Supplements”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 1, episode 8, John Oliver (actor), Warner Bros. Television, via HBO
3. A method of isolating specific cells or molecules from a mixture, especially by immobilization on a gel.