entangle

[en-tang-guhl]

verb (used with object)

entangled, entangling 

1. to make tangled; ensnarl; intertwine.

2. to involve in or as in a tangle; ensnare; enmesh.

   to be entangled by intrigue.

3. to involve in difficulties.

4. to confuse or perplex.

   Synonyms: bewilder

entangle

/ ɪnˈtæŋɡəl /

verb

1. to catch or involve in or as if in a tangle; ensnare or enmesh

2. to make tangled or twisted; snarl

3. to make complicated; confuse

4. to involve in difficulties; entrap

Other Word Forms

• entangleable adjective
• entangledly adverb
• entangledness noun
• entangler noun
• entanglingly adverb
• interentangle verb (used with object)
• unentangleable adjective
• unentangled adjective
• unentangling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of entangle¹

First recorded in 1530–40; en- ¹ + tangle ¹

Synonym Study

See involve.

Example Sentences

For tens of thousands of years, our human story and that of our dogs has been entangled.

Read more on BBC

To create high-performance quantum networks, researchers must entangle atoms and maintain that entanglement as signals travel through fiber cables.

Read more on Science Daily

These arrests come as sports organizations grapple with a bleak new reality that has emerged since states began legalizing sports betting in 2018: Players at all levels are becoming entangled in betting schemes.

Read more on MarketWatch

As Mia grapples with the shock of her sister's death, she becomes entangled in the small town's web of secrets and lies.

Read more on BBC

One term for the scams is pig butchering, because the scammers “fatten up” their targets by entangling them in romantic relationships online and dangling bogus financial schemes, then “butcher” them by disappearing with their money.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• complicate 
• confuse 
• embarrass 
• embroil 
• enmesh 
• ensnare 
• entrap 
• implicate 
• intertwine 
• interweave 
• perplex 
• snare 
• snarl 
• tangle 
• unsettle