unravel

[ uhn-rav-uhl ]
See synonyms for: unravelunraveledunravelingunravelled on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),un·rav·eled, un·rav·el·ing or (especially British) un·rav·elled, un·rav·el·ling.
  1. to separate or disentangle the threads of (a woven or knitted fabric, a rope, etc.).

  2. to free from complication or difficulty; make plain or clear; solve: to unravel a situation; to unravel a mystery.

  1. Informal. to take apart; undo; destroy (a plan, agreement, or arrangement).

verb (used without object),un·rav·eled, un·rav·el·ing or (especially British) un·rav·elled, un·rav·el·ling.
  1. to become unraveled.

Origin of unravel

1
First recorded in 1595–1605; un-2 + ravel

Other words from unravel

  • un·rav·el·er; especially British, un·rav·el·ler, noun
  • un·rav·el·ment, noun

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

How to use unravel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for unravel

unravel

/ (ʌnˈrævəl) /


verb-els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled
  1. (tr) to reduce (something knitted or woven) to separate strands

  2. (tr) to undo or untangle (something tangled or knotted)

  1. (tr) to explain or solve: the mystery was unravelled

  2. (intr) to become unravelled

Derived forms of unravel

  • unraveller, noun
  • unravelment, noun

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