embroil

[ em-broil ]

See synonyms for: embroil embroiled embroilment on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to bring into discord or conflict; involve in contention or strife.
to throw into confusion; complicate.

Origin of embroil

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Middle French embrouiller, equivalent to em- em-¹ + brouiller “to quarrel”; see broil²

Other words from embroil

em·broil·er, noun
em·broil·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use embroil in a sentence

Doug Pederson was dismissed Monday as coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, just less than three years after he led them to a Super Bowl title and eight days after he was embroiled in a tanking controversy to finish the NFL’s regular season.
Doug Pederson ousted as coach of Philadelphia Eagles, less than three years after Super Bowl victory | Mark Maske | January 12, 2021 | Washington Post
Sweetwater became embroiled in a $30 million financial scandal under Janney’s leadership, which Voice of San Diego first revealed in September 2018.
These Stories Changed San Diego in 2020 | Sara Libby | December 31, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
In several interviews with lawyers and victims, they describe time and again how ordinary people have been embroiled in years of problems, after suddenly being made aware—often from their banks—that an accident of birth has put them under suspicion.
Why 'Accidental Americans' Are Desperate to Give Up Their U.S. Citizenship | Vivienne Walt | December 22, 2020 | Time
The Oregon embroilment had led certain British journals into gross speech about America.
Washington Irving | Henry W. Boynton
The Alien and Sedition Laws were passed in order to suppress agitation tending to produce such embroilment.
The Life of Lyman Trumbull | Horace White

And Lyons is quoted as having understood, in the end, the real purpose of Seward's policy in seeking embroilment with Europe.
Great Britain and the American Civil War | Ephraim Douglass Adams
On the 25th, Mme. de Svign noted another "serious embroilment."
Louis XIV and La Grande Mademoiselle | Arvede Barine
Time during such an embroilment was hard to measure, and Shann could not be sure.
Storm Over Warlock | Andre Norton

British Dictionary definitions for embroil

embroil

/ (ɪmˈbrɔɪl) /

verb(tr)

to involve (a person, oneself, etc) in trouble, conflict, or argument
to throw (affairs) into a state of confusion or disorder; complicate; entangle

Origin of embroil

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

Derived forms of embroil

embroiler, noun
embroilment, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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