mangle

1
[ mang-guhl ]
See synonyms for: manglemangled on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),man·gled, man·gling.
  1. to injure severely, disfigure, or mutilate by cutting, slashing, or crushing: The coat sleeve was mangled in the gears of the machine.

  2. to spoil or ruin; mar badly: The story was mangled by a clumsy translation.

Origin of mangle

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French mangler, perhaps dissimilated variant of Old French mangonner “to mangle”; akin to mangonel

synonym study For mangle

1. See maim.

Other words for mangle

Other words from mangle

  • mangler, noun

Other definitions for mangle (2 of 2)

mangle2
[ mang-guhl ]

noun
  1. a machine for smoothing or pressing clothes, household linen, etc., by means of heated rollers.

verb (used with object),man·gled, man·gling.
  1. to smooth or press with a mangle.

  2. Metalworking. to squeeze (metal plates) between rollers.

Origin of mangle

2
1765–75; <Dutch mangel ≪ Late Latin manganum.See mangonel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use mangle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mangle (1 of 2)

mangle1

/ (ˈmæŋɡəl) /


verb(tr)
  1. to mutilate, disfigure, or destroy by cutting, crushing, or tearing

  2. to ruin, spoil, or mar

Origin of mangle

1
C14: from Norman French mangler, probably from Old French mahaignier to maim

Derived forms of mangle

  • mangler, noun
  • mangled, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for mangle (2 of 2)

mangle2

/ (ˈmæŋɡəl) /


noun
  1. Also called: wringer a machine for pressing or drying wet textiles, clothes, etc, consisting of two heavy rollers between which the cloth is passed

verb(tr)
  1. to press or dry in a mangle

Origin of mangle

2
C18: from Dutch mangel, ultimately from Late Latin manganum. See mangonel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012