embroil
Americanverb (used with object)
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embroils,
present (3rd person singular)
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embroiled,
past participle, past
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embroiling
present participle
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to bring into discord or conflict; involve in contention or strife.
-
to throw into confusion; complicate.
verb
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to involve (a person, oneself, etc) in trouble, conflict, or argument
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to throw (affairs) into a state of confusion or disorder; complicate; entangle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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embroilsimple
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embroilssimple
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have embroiledperfect
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has embroiledperfect
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am embroilingprogressive
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are embroilingprogressive
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is embroilingprogressive
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have been embroilingperfect progressive
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has been embroilingperfect progressive
Past
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embroiledsimple
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had embroiledperfect
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was embroilingprogressive
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were embroilingprogressive
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had been embroilingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of embroil
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Middle French embrouiller, equivalent to em- em- 1 + brouiller “to quarrel”; see broil 2
Explanation
To embroil is to drag someone into a mess. If you're embroiled, you're in deep. Being embroiled is far worse, far messier, and generally far more long-term, than simply being "involved" with something. Nothing good can come of being embroiled. Embroil can refer to any sort of situation — romantic entanglements, political events, scandals — but it's probably most commonly used in reference to lawsuits. The classic lawsuit that embroiled its participants was the fictional case of Jarndyce. v. Jarndyce, in Dickens's novel Bleak House — which went on for so many generations that all the characters' money was eaten up entirely by lawyers' fees. Let us repeat: nothing good comes of getting embroiled.
Vocabulary lists containing embroil
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Grade 12, List 2
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Fast Food Nation
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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:
Those investments, experts say, help prevent regional conflict and war that may embroil the U.S.
From Salon ● May 29, 2025
Desperate not to embroil a small, vulnerable immigrant community in an intense national controversy, they tried to avoid the issue.
From Slate ● Apr. 10, 2025
The revelation of an attempt to interfere over the penalty decision is the latest in a series of controversies to embroil Ben Sulayem since being elected in December 2021.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2024
Investors were on guard for the potential of the conflict spreading to embroil other countries, including Iran, and a continued spike in oil prices.
From Reuters ● Oct. 9, 2023
Washington, who wanted powder, and not prisoners, was not well pleased with the result of this expedition, as he held it impolitic then to embroil the revolted colonies with Canada.
From Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast by Samuel Adams Drake
Milking the quirks of small-town life and the strange workings of faith and superstition, “The Unknown Saint” embroils a cast of droll, deadpan characters in amusing high jinks.
From New York Times ● Jul. 30, 2021
"Because it embroils us in a legal discussion," Mueller said.
From Fox News ● Jul. 24, 2019
Her death remains a mystery that still embroils some of the most storied figures in this city’s imaginary golden age of intrigue and glamour.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 7, 2017
The case that has gotten the greatest attention embroils Benedict himself.
From Time ● Mar. 19, 2010
Money embroils the best friends, and leads to actions they never foresaw.
From The Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honoré de Balzac
It had been nearing a close when it, too, became embroiled in controversy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Disney is embroiled in a legal battle with the Federal Communications Commission alleging the agency’s efforts to challenge its broadcast licenses and regulate its talk show “The View” are illegal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Shortly after becoming prime minister in 2024, Sir Keir Starmer became embroiled in a row over the gifts he had accepted including tickets to a Taylor Swift concert and thousands of pounds for clothes.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Coincidentally, Harper became embroiled in that lawsuit, in which the plaintiffs pointed to images of Harper’s face on the DraftKings app as evidence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
I particularly feared he would get embroiled in a religious discussion, bring in my Roman Catholicism in a way that could embarrass the Church.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
The 1MDB scandal made headlines across the world when it came to light a decade ago, embroiling prominent figures from Malaysia to Goldman Sachs and Hollywood.
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2025
But her ability to manage her finances is not your responsibility, and we risk embroiling you further in her emotional blackmail and psychological pinball machine by discussing her money troubles.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2025
He cannot walk on the beach without embroiling himself in national controversy.
From Slate ● May 17, 2025
The case was one of many legal fights currently embroiling Mr. Musk and X. The company is suing a law firm that represented it before Mr. Musk’s ownership, claiming that it collected unreasonably high fees.
From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2024
Muttering against the braves for embroiling themselves in war without cause, he fell away from the marauders as if to leave.
From Heralds of Empire Being the Story of One Ramsay Stanhope, Lieutenant to Pierre Radisson in the Northern Fur Trade by Agnes C. (Agnes Christina) Laut
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
