embroil

[em-broil]

verb (used with object)

1. to bring into discord or conflict; involve in contention or strife.

2. to throw into confusion; complicate.

embroil

/ ɪmˈbrɔɪl /

verb

1. to involve (a person, oneself, etc) in trouble, conflict, or argument

2. to throw (affairs) into a state of confusion or disorder; complicate; entangle

Other Word Forms

• embroiler noun
• embroilment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of embroil¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Middle French embrouiller, equivalent to em- em- ¹ + brouiller “to quarrel”; broil ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of embroil¹

C17: from French embrouiller, from brouiller to mingle, confuse

Example Sentences

A popping of the AI bubble would eliminate smaller players and lead to a widespread spending pullback, dismantling the current AI capex race that Big Tech companies are embroiled in.

Read more on MarketWatch

Israel's army is currently embroiled in a legal and political scandal around leaked video footage allegedly showing the abuse of Palestinian detainees - a case that has pitted ultranationalist politicians against the country's security forces.

Read more on BBC

Conservatives are likewise embroiled in bitter internal fighting over an idea even more stupid than Mr. Schumer’s shutdown: dispatching the welcome wagon for Holocaust denier and white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The two sides have been embroiled in a civil war that has killed at least 150,000 people and forced 12 million others from their homes since it erupted in April 2023.

Read more on BBC

In just seconds, it generated a plot outline about a wedding photographer unwittingly embroiled in a criminal conspiracy.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• enmesh 
• ensnare 
• entangle 
• implicate 
• involve 
• mire 
• tangle