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Showing results for gnarl. Search instead for gnarls'.
Synonyms

gnarl

1 American  
[nahrl] / nɑrl /

noun

  1. a knotty protuberance on a tree; knot.

verb (used with object)

  1. to twist into a knotted or distorted form.

    Synonyms:
    distort, contort
gnarl 2 American  
[nahrl] / nɑrl /

verb (used without object)

  1. to growl; snarl.

gnarl 1 British  
/ nɑːl /

noun

  1. any knotty protuberance or swelling on a tree

"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

verb

  1. (tr) to knot or cause to knot

"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
gnarl 2 British  
/ nɑːl, nɑː /

verb

  1. obsolete (intr) to growl or snarl

"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

Etymology

Origin of gnarl1

First recorded in 1805–15; back formation from gnarled

Origin of gnarl2

First recorded in 1585–95; variant of gnar

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.

The story of Marek’s ascent after his father leaves him with Villiam intertwines with the gross-out soap opera of his family’s past, the strands mesmerizing as they twist and gnarl together.

From Washington Post • Jun. 25, 2022

"Confrontational", "devastating", "visceral", "frazzled", "guttural, volcanic crescendos of industrial gnarl".

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2021

The gnarl of a tree trunk torques into velvet and sharpens back up.

From New York Times • Aug. 4, 2021

“I found mine in those trees,” she said, pointing to a gnarl of branches and trunks on the road.

From Reuters • Oct. 9, 2017

The one gnarl of her childhood was the knowledge that, if she did not die of one of her diseases, she would eventually have to marry and go live with in-laws.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

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.