enmesh

American

[en-mesh] / ɛnˈmɛʃ /

verb (used with object)

to catch, as in a net; entangle.

He was enmeshed by financial difficulties.

enmesh British

/ ɪnˈmɛʃ /

verb

(tr) to catch or involve in or as if in a net or snare; entangle

"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

Other Word Forms

enmeshment noun

Etymology

Origin of enmesh

First recorded in 1595–1605; en- ¹ + mesh

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.

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

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

Although her adventures eventually strain credulity, through her script — inspired by real events — Mihai manages to completely enmesh the viewer in a story that combines social drama with thriller, espionage and vigilante elements.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2022

If her behaviour had been designed to draw him on and enmesh him completely, it could not have been more effective.

From The Honour of the Clintons by Marshall, Archibald

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023