Synonyms

entangle

American

[en-tang-guhl] / ɛnˈtæŋ gəl /

verb (used with object)

to make tangled; ensnarl; intertwine.
to involve in or as in a tangle; ensnare; enmesh.

to be entangled by intrigue.
to involve in difficulties.
to confuse or perplex.

Synonyms:

bewilder

entangle British

/ ɪnˈtæŋɡəl /

verb

to catch or involve in or as if in a tangle; ensnare or enmesh
to make tangled or twisted; snarl
to make complicated; confuse
to involve in difficulties; entrap

"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

Synonym Usage

See involve.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of entangle

First recorded in 1530–40; en- ¹ + tangle ¹

Explanation

To entangle is to snarl, intertwine with, or get caught in. Too often, dolphins entangle themselves in large fishing nets meant to catch tuna or swordfish. If you mean to trip your brother, you can entangle your leg around his, and when long-haired people don't brush it for days, it will snarl and entangle itself. A figurative way to entangle is to get caught up in a complicated situation: "I didn't mean to entangle you in this mess with my roommates!" Entangle's roots are en-, "put in" or "cause to be" and tangle, or "snarl."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing entangle

Messenger

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: en-, em-

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

entangle entangles entangled entangling

It’s written in a broad way that could entangle Congress in other aspects of city governance, which probably isn’t a good use of lawmakers’ time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

“The net is designed to entangle itself on any of the rotating objects in the rear of the car,” Santistevan said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

It's designed to trap and entangle Russian drones and stop them hitting the vehicles beneath.

From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026

Mulino has insisted the canal's neutrality is intact and has urged Washington not to entangle Panama in its rivalry with Beijing.

From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026

Surely Forest would not entangle the poor woman yet.

From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry

Even if the property still stands, there is the possibility that it has been owned by multiple Cuban households over the decades, a long chain of custody that entangles original ownership.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Those numbers, however, don't amount to much in the grand scheme, given the rate at which Louisiana "incarcerates and prosecutes and entangles people in the criminal legal system left and right every day," Romero said.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2024

But the operatic plot is a skein that sometimes entangles its colorful character and other times leaves them panting with exhaustion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2023

A mass of knotted rope entangles like tentacles or whirs when swung by a spinning dancer.

From New York Times ● Mar. 30, 2023

In general, however, the caterpillar provides a web of silk which it spins against some surface where the chrysalis will be secure and in this web it entangles its hind legs.

From Butterflies Worth Knowing by Clarence M. Weed

Joby, based in Santa Cruz, has been entangled in several lawsuits recently, including multiple with its San José-based rival Archer Aviation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

This is the second entangled whale the tour operator has witnessed since August, the company said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

Their longer term goal is to apply the method to larger-scale and more general multi-photon quantum entangled states.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026

The team also intends to develop on-chip photonic quantum circuits capable of performing entangled measurements, potentially making the technology more compact and easier to integrate into future quantum systems.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026

But at the time I blushed furiously to be seen by Hamlet while entangled in a fight with my brother.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

The other $0.9 trillion is the Treasury’s General Account, where the Treasury parks cash awaiting disbursement—an entangling service the Fed only began providing in 2008.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

Washington's warning about the dangers of entangling alliances was followed for 150 years.

From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2026

More consolidation – and more influential corporate giants – risks more deeply entangling the interests of profit-driven companies in America’s food system.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2024

If the hair is longer than 2 inches, bury it in the soil to avoid entangling birds’ feet, she recommends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2024

On the left flank, Grover and his nature spirits were regrouping, entangling the enemies with bushes and weeds.

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023