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

Nets along the east coast also routinely entangle humpback whales on their annual migration to and from the tropics.

Read more on BBC

According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, there were 95 confirmed entangled whales in U.S. waters last year.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“So we always encourage folks not to cut their lines and let it go so animals like her don’t get entangled or potentially eat it.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

On Wednesday, a Reform spokesman added: "Cosying up to the EU and leaving us entangled in reams of retained EU law which Kemi Badenoch failed to scrap will not resuscitate Britain's struggling economy."

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A business built on symbolism and ideology can quickly become entangled in the very structures it celebrates, blurring the line between public support, legal accountability, and personal vulnerability.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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