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:
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
And now you have made your appearance, and almost persuaded me to embroil myself yet more with the priesthood, as if they did not abhor me enough p. 167already.
From The Bible in Spain Vol. 1 [of 2] by George Henry Borrow
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.
That said, the performances are so captivating that one quickly becomes embroiled in the imperiled fates of the characters and their flailing attempts to either escape or ignore them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
It had been nearing a close when it, too, became embroiled in controversy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 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
The two chains have been embroiled in a long running legal battle over the right to use brand terms including "Mac".
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Kyril Montana had also helped Bud out of one ticklish situation involving federally controlled interstate land sales in which Bud had become embroiled during his earlier days when he was based in the capital.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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
A feud between two major players in California’s $2.6-billion pistachio business is embroiling the county of Fresno, which has now become the target of a lawsuit filed by one of the firms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2019
It is the same in misery and in high places—solitary and impotent, on guard against everybody, embroiling everything.
From The Simple Life by Mary Louise Hendee
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.
