unravel
Americanverb (used with object)
-
unravels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unraveled,
past participle, past
-
unravelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
unraveling,
present participle
-
unravelling
present participle (especially British)
-
to separate or disentangle the threads of (a woven or knitted fabric, a rope, etc.).
-
to free from complication or difficulty; make plain or clear; solve.
to unravel a situation; to unravel a mystery.
-
Informal. to take apart; undo; destroy (a plan, agreement, or arrangement).
verb (used without object)
-
unravels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unraveled,
past participle, past
-
unravelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
unraveling,
present participle
-
unravelling
present participle (especially British)
verb
-
(tr) to reduce (something knitted or woven) to separate strands
-
(tr) to undo or untangle (something tangled or knotted)
-
(tr) to explain or solve
the mystery was unravelled
-
(intr) to become unravelled
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
unravelsimple
-
unravelssimple
-
have unraveledperfect
-
have unravelledperfect
-
has unraveledperfect
-
has unravelledperfect
-
am unravelingprogressive
-
am unravellingprogressive
-
are unravelingprogressive
-
are unravellingprogressive
-
is unravelingprogressive
-
is unravellingprogressive
-
have been unravelingperfect progressive
-
have been unravellingperfect progressive
-
has been unravelingperfect progressive
-
has been unravellingperfect progressive
Past
-
unraveledsimple
-
unravelledsimple
-
had unraveledperfect
-
had unravelledperfect
-
was unravelingprogressive
-
was unravellingprogressive
-
were unravelingprogressive
-
were unravellingprogressive
-
had been unravelingperfect progressive
-
had been unravellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unravel
Explanation
However tempting, don't pull that straggly thread hanging from your sleeve. You'll just unravel, or totally undo, your hand-knitted sweater. Something that's unraveled has been completely undone, whether it's a spool of thread, some knotty shoelaces, or your mental state after a long and frustrating day. You can also unravel a mystery by picking it apart, untangling the details or just following the trail of clues like a line of string.
Vocabulary lists containing unravel
Power Prefix: un-
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List 11
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Where the Red Fern Grows
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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:
Flaring inflation concerns are threatening to unravel the core of the artificial-intelligence trade.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Taking orders is part of the job, certainly; trying to do it while the rest of the restaurant threatens to unravel is another matter.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
This band of investigators diligently works to unravel what is perhaps the most unusual case yet in Ms. Penny’s series.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
"It wasn't until the horse arrived back at home that it all started to unravel."
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
C.P. considered himself a radical, but Jacobs was clearly cut from a different cloth—one that was beginning to unravel.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
The 24-time major winner, now 39, physically unravels in a stunning first-round loss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Those positions give the countries bargain power, especially as farmers have already been hit by last year’s tariffs, losing share to Brazil that could gain even more share if the pact unravels.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
A guy who only knows how to go for broke, and always doubles down when things go wrong, has to stick to his guns or the whole shtick unravels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
She played the obsessive and troubled woman, Martha, who dramatically unravels onscreen.
From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2025
He unravels a piece of the wire and runs it through his fingers.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
When the Situational Awareness fund unraveled last month, veterans on Wall Street saw it as the latest cautionary tale of hubris.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
At once pragmatic and playful, Anderson seems to be taking on the world these days like someone who’s unraveled a deeper mystery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
A brief Treasury market rally that followed Warsh’s first press conference at the Fed’s helm in June also unraveled.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 26, 2026
A brief Treasury-market rally that followed Warsh’s first press conference at the Fed’s helm in June also unraveled.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 26, 2026
“Fantastic!” said Hermione, as Ron unraveled the long, flesh-colored strings and began to feed them toward the bottom of the door.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
It was the worst attack by the Houthis since a four-year truce in Yemen's long-running civil war unravelled in July.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
In 2025, the Australian for a large part of the year appeared on course for a first world title, until his season unravelled somewhat in the final third.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Matthew said thinking back to the time his mother's lies unravelled was like a "fever dream".
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
On it, smart cameras installed around his home relayed images of his house, now under clear blue skies, with the hosepipe in the yard unravelled where he left it.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Even so, I kept worrying that one of the strings would come unravelled and a single balloon would sail off up into that cloudy sky.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
None of us saw him unraveling, certainly not Will Smith.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
The cordial relationship Mamdani has fostered with the Trump administration also seemed at risk of unraveling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
In fact, rising interest rates are taking a toll across the market, and it’s becoming clear that one sector alone is keeping things from unraveling.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
But now — as this year’s “super” El Niño gains strength — some researchers say they are getting closer to unraveling the mystery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
But when the seasons brought the fourth around, one of her maids, who knew the secret, told us; we found her unraveling the splendid shroud.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
McCullum's exit is the latest twist in the unravelling of the England Test team.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
"No adversary should mistake our current restraint with a lack of resolve," General Dan Caine told reporters, amid fears the current US-Iranian ceasefire is unravelling.
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
"Our home honestly felt like it was unravelling," he says.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
And Barrett's glamorous life appears to be unravelling.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
‘Well, what have you done?’ said Frodo, getting impatient with the slow unravelling of Butterbur’s thoughts.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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