untangle

American  

[uhn-tang-guhl] / ʌnˈtæŋ gəl /

verb (used with object)

untangled, untangling

1. to bring out of a tangled state; disentangle; unsnarl.

2. to straighten out or clear up (anything confused or perplexing).

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untangle British  

/ ʌnˈtæŋɡəl /

verb

1. to free from a tangled condition

2. to free from perplexity or confusion

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Etymology

Origin of untangle

First recorded in 1540–50; un- ² + tangle ¹

Example Sentences

Some scientists have commented that it is difficult to untangle the effects of UPFs in people's diets from other factors in people's lives, such as lifestyle, behaviour and wealth.

From BBC

As Canada looks to untangle itself economically from the US, the country's landlocked oil patch is eyeing new customers in Asia through a pipeline to the Pacific.

From BBC

Dowling, author of a previous biography of Shepard’s idol Eugene O’Neill, expertly untangles the history of a man who contained multitudes — “country boy, playwright, lover, rocker, husband, father.”

From Los Angeles Times

It also hit her that she would have to untangle their finances.

From The Wall Street Journal

Because I work with words for a living, I am hard-wired to try to untangle sentences like this.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• clear up
• disentangle
• extricate
• unravel
• unscramble