This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
tangle
1[ tang-guhl ]
/ ˈtæŋ gəl /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
verb (used with object), tan·gled, tan·gling.
verb (used without object), tan·gled, tan·gling.
to be or become tangled.
Informal. to come into conflict; fight or argue: I don't want to tangle with him over the new ruling.
noun
QUIZ
ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?
We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
Question 1 of 8
Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Origin of tangle
11300–50; Middle English tangilen, tagilen to entangle <Scandinavian; compare Swedish (dial.) taggla to disarrange
OTHER WORDS FROM tangle
tan·gle·ment, nountangler, nountangly, adverbWords nearby tangle
tangible, Tangier, Tangier disease, Tangier Zone, tangka, tangle, tangleberry, tangled, Tanglewood, tango, tangor
Other definitions for tangle (2 of 2)
tangle2
[ tang-guhl ]
/ ˈtæŋ gəl /
noun
any of several large seaweeds of the genus Laminaria.
Origin of tangle
21530–40; <Scandinavian; compare Old Norse thǫngull strand of tangle, Norwegian tang
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use tangle in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for tangle (1 of 2)
tangle1
/ (ˈtæŋɡəl) /
noun
a confused or complicated mass of hairs, lines, fibres, etc, knotted or coiled together
a complicated problem, condition, or situation
verb
to become or cause to become twisted together in a confused mass
(intr often foll by with) to come into conflict; contendto tangle with the police
(tr) to involve in matters which hinder or confuseto tangle someone in a shady deal
(tr) to ensnare or trap, as in a net
Derived forms of tangle
tanglement, nountangler, nountangly, adjectiveWord Origin for tangle
C14 tangilen, variant of tagilen, probably of Scandinavian origin; related to Swedish dialect taggla to entangle
British Dictionary definitions for tangle (2 of 2)
Word Origin for tangle
C16: of Scandinavian origin: compare Danish tang seaweed
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