Rushed back in, distraught after dropping essentially straightforward catch (7)
I believe the answer is:
ensnare
'catch' is the definition.
(ensnaring is a kind of catching)
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ensnare that I've seen before include "Catch as if in a trap or net" , "Ecstatic expression of feeling" , "Capture, trap" , "Ambush" .)