enmesh
Americanverb (used with object)
-
enmeshes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
enmeshed,
past participle, past
-
enmeshing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
enmeshsimple
-
enmeshessimple
-
have enmeshedperfect
-
has enmeshedperfect
-
am enmeshingprogressive
-
are enmeshingprogressive
-
is enmeshingprogressive
-
have been enmeshingperfect progressive
-
has been enmeshingperfect progressive
Past
-
enmeshedsimple
-
had enmeshedperfect
-
was enmeshingprogressive
-
were enmeshingprogressive
-
had been enmeshingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of enmesh
Explanation
To enmesh is to tangle or trap, the way a sea turtle might enmesh itself in a huge fishing net, or you might find yourself enmeshed in a long conversation with your talkative neighbor. You'll most often find the verb enmesh hidden within the phrase "be enmeshed in." Your kitten may get enmeshed in the snarl of yarn she's playing with — or your sister may become enmeshed in the fight between her two best friends. However you use this word, you'll find it equally appropriate for literal or figurative entanglements: "Don't enmesh me in your money making schemes!"
Vocabulary lists containing enmesh
Othello
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!
The Weight of Our Sky
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!
"Cinderella, the Legend"
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:
In some of the book’s finest moments, Sheff explores her creative emergence, particularly her brash efforts to enmesh herself with Fluxus, the international art movement that celebrated the act of performance for performance’s sake.
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2025
I’ve never really made a concerted effort to enmesh myself in queer nightlife, but now I feel compelled to do it because I want to support those businesses, and community feels more important than ever.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2025
Not all bills before the committee Monday sought to enmesh religion with education.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 5, 2024
Like Bernstein, he has achieved genuine civic stature — and like Bernstein, enough of one to occasionally enmesh him in controversy.
From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2023
"I let my father do as he pleases; he daily seeks to enmesh me more and more in the affairs of the town, and I submit."
From The Youth of Goethe by Peter Hume Brown
Writing to our senses as well as the characters enmeshes the viewers in Jimmy’s world, but Odenkirk’s pathos-soaked scoundrel makes the show breathe and kick.
From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2017
But what happens when it becomes harder and harder to tell the two apart -- where every attempt at definition just enmeshes us further?
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2016
The Red Mass has generated criticism over the decades, in part for the extent to which it enmeshes the high court with church affairs, and some members of the Supreme Court also have their qualms.
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2015
These contrasting paint textures give the works a firm foothold in reality and reward up-close viewing, which enmeshes the eye in both their spatial paradoxes and everyday moods.
From New York Times ● Oct. 4, 2012
It entwines and enmeshes in a magic network the lives of the patriarchs, prophets, and martyrs, and clothes with fresh, luxuriant green the old ideals and figures, giving them new life for a remote generation.
From Jewish Literature and Other Essays by Gustav Karpeles
When Joe Biden was president, the relationship was very enmeshed, right?
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
As long as their parent is cognitively sharp and not enmeshed in a romance scam, the size and scope of an inheritance is entirely up to the parent.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
After all, digitization means that tech is now enmeshed with the rule of law, trade, and economics.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
He is enmeshed in the consequences of the gross blunder he made by going to war assuming an easy victory.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
I wept as much for the glory of two voices so perfectly enmeshed as for the tragedy of the song.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Your partner's actions push that one-to-one through a third person, erasing boundaries and enmeshing you all.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 12, 2021
For the actors, encountering and enmeshing with the community was an eye-opening experience.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 30, 2021
That's where things really fall apart in Richard D'Ovidio's script: Aside from the moral madness of enmeshing a minor in such proceedings, the after-hours gallery infiltration proves a rote, tension-free affair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2015
We’re all better off for enmeshing ourselves with what we are not, and that may best be done in love, but fiction works, too.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2014
O, he knew that there was a net of intrigue enmeshing him, but it was so very fine that he could not pick up the smallest thread whereby to unravel it.
From The Puppet Crown by Harold MacGrath
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.
