entangle
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to catch or involve in or as if in a tangle; ensnare or enmesh
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to make tangled or twisted; snarl
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to make complicated; confuse
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to involve in difficulties; entrap
Synonym Usage
See involve.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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entanglednessnoun
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entanglinglyadverb
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unentangledadjective
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entangledlyadverb
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unentanglingadjective
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interentangleverb (used with object)
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entangleableadjective
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entanglernoun
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unentangleableadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has entangledperfect 3rd person singular
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have entangledperfect
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have been entanglingperfect progressive
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entanglessingular 3rd person
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am entanglingprogressive 1st person singular
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entanglingparticiple
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is entanglingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been entanglingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are entanglingprogressive
Past
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had entangledperfect
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entangledparticiple
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had been entanglingperfect progressive
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were entanglingprogressive plural
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entangledsimple
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was entanglingprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of entangle
Explanation
To entangle is to snarl, intertwine with, or get caught in. Too often, dolphins entangle themselves in large fishing nets meant to catch tuna or swordfish. If you mean to trip your brother, you can entangle your leg around his, and when long-haired people don't brush it for days, it will snarl and entangle itself. A figurative way to entangle is to get caught up in a complicated situation: "I didn't mean to entangle you in this mess with my roommates!" Entangle's roots are en-, "put in" or "cause to be" and tangle, or "snarl."
Vocabulary lists containing entangle
Messenger
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: en-, em-
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
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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 net is designed to entangle itself on any of the rotating objects in the rear of the car,” Santistevan said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
Mulino has insisted the canal's neutrality is intact and has urged Washington not to entangle Panama in its rivalry with Beijing.
From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026
“Unguided chatbot responses, for example, cannot be neatly constrained. Attempts to do so will either be insufficient or entangle developers in a morass of third-rail social issues.”
From Salon • Aug. 14, 2025
Discarded fishing nets, lines, and other plastic debris can entangle and trap marine animals, leading to injury, drowning, or suffocation.
From BBC • Oct. 21, 2023
The overgrown limberjack dived at the golem’s feet, using both arms and legs to entangle Hugo’s ankles.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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.
