embroil
Americanverb (used with object)
-
embroils,
present (3rd person singular)
-
embroiled,
past participle, past
-
embroiling
present participle
-
to bring into discord or conflict; involve in contention or strife.
-
to throw into confusion; complicate.
verb
-
to involve (a person, oneself, etc) in trouble, conflict, or argument
-
to throw (affairs) into a state of confusion or disorder; complicate; entangle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
embroilsimple
-
embroilssimple
-
have embroiledperfect
-
has embroiledperfect
-
am embroilingprogressive
-
are embroilingprogressive
-
is embroilingprogressive
-
have been embroilingperfect progressive
-
has been embroilingperfect progressive
Past
-
embroiledsimple
-
had embroiledperfect
-
was embroilingprogressive
-
were embroilingprogressive
-
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
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!
Grade 12, List 2
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!
Fast Food Nation
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:
The concerts at MetLife Stadium would later embroil Sheeran, his tour, Macklemore — and somehow pop star Pink — in controversy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
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
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
I beg your pardon also for saying or thinking that there was a design to sell me an office, or to embroil me.
From Life Without and Life Within or, Reviews, Narratives, Essays, and poems. by Margaret Fuller
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
We have received the Sangleys in their place, with whom the profit of the traffic always embroils us.
Alvarado has held senior roles in multiple Betancourt businesses, including as chief financial officer of an energy firm that became embroiled in scandals a decade ago.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
Before City -- now embroiled in the biggest financial scandal to hit football's cash-rich Premier League -- moved to the area it was "very deprived" with high rates of unemployment, he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
At that point Ceferin, who was initially elected in 2016, was embroiled in a row over Uefa changing its statutes to allow him to serve for a fourth term.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The nascent Polish state found itself embroiled in localized wars with Germans, Lithuanians and Ukrainians alongside a grander struggle against the Soviets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Out in these streets people were embroiled in a thousand matters, money problems, love problems, school problems.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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
Jailhouse records soon proved Sanders right, embroiling the district attorney’s office and Sheriff’s Department in a national scandal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2022
But Johnson and Issa disagreed on the details of how to fix the problem, embroiling the subcommittee in the same debates that have stymied action on this matter for decades.
From Slate ● Feb. 24, 2021
One alone, The redbreast, sacred to the household gods, Wisely regardful of the embroiling sky, In joyless fields and thorny thickets leaves His shivering mates, and pays to trusted man His annual visit.
From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Raymond MacDonald Alden
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
