tangle

[ tang-guhl ]

/ ˈtæŋ gəl /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: tangle / tangled on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), tan·gled, tan·gling.

to bring together into a mass of confusedly interlaced or intertwisted threads, strands, or other like parts; snarl.

to involve in something that hampers, obstructs, or overgrows: The bushes were tangled with vines.

to catch and hold in or as if in a net or snare.

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

a tangled condition or situation.

a tangled or confused mass or assemblage of something.

a confused jumble: a tangle of contradictory statements.

Informal. a conflict; disagreement: He got into a tangle with the governor.

OTHER WORDS FOR tangle

8 snarl, labyrinth, maze.

9 altercation, argument, dispute, fight.

See synonyms for tangle on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of tangle

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tangilen, tagilen “to entangle,” probably from a Scandinavian language; compare Swedish (dialect) taggla “to disarrange”

OTHER WORDS FROM tangle

tan·gle·ment, nountangler, nountangly, adverb

Words nearby tangle

tangi, tangible, Tangier, 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

First recorded in 1530–40; from a Scandinavian language; compare Old Norse thǫngull “strand of tangle,” Norwegian tang

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tangle in a sentence

Say goodbye to tangles—this 19-inch, three-tier design allows you to easily store necklaces of a variety of shapes and sizes.
Jewelry organizers that will completely transform your vanity|PopSci Commerce Team|October 14, 2020|Popular-Science
Meyer, who founded The Commons Project Foundation last year, says that as they began building the coronavirus platform, they realized that the confounding tangle of regulations was a major obstacle to reviving travel.
The tech startup trying to restore our faith in COVID-free air travel|Vivienne Walt|October 7, 2020|Fortune
Similarly, in subatomic physics, renormalization tells physicists when they can deal with a relatively simple proton as opposed to its tangle of interior quarks.
How Mathematical ‘Hocus-Pocus’ Saved Particle Physics|Charlie Wood|September 17, 2020|Quanta Magazine
You can fish this setup as a hand line, but tangles are inevitable.
This essential survival tool can save your life 10 different ways|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|September 15, 2020|Popular-Science

Tenet’s Labor Day weekend release, then, faces a tangle of uncertainty.
Will ‘Tenet’ revive U.S. movie theaters as it’s finally released?|dzanemorris|September 3, 2020|Fortune
The process was a maddening tangle of unreliable tracking, delays, and confusion, the family member said.
American G.I.s: Dude, Where’s My Car?|Tim Mak|July 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The tangle of enormous fake diamonds resting on top of her cleavage sparkles at every flashbulb.
And The Escort of The Year Is… Backstage at The Sex Oscars|Scott Bixby|March 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was litigation as entertainment—a farcical tangle of events that titillated a ready, willing, and able country.
Did Sexpot Schoolteacher Pamela Smart Hire Teens to Kill Her Husband?|Marlow Stern|January 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pettet threw his head back and laughed as he recounted his tangle with the police.
Even an Arrest Can’t Stop Clayton Pettet From Losing His Virginity in an Art Show|Nico Hines|December 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The profession remains a knotty tangle of influences and causations and aggravations and insurers.
Is Psychiatry Being Stumped By the Mental Illnesses It Has to Treat?|Matthew Tiffany|August 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
You only misunderstand each other, and with a little good will on both sides you can easily get out of your tangle.'
Confidence|Henry James
She went and stood at an open window and looked out upon the deep tangle of the garden below.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
I saw three kinds of sea-tangle, but could only obtain a specimen of one, resembling that which I had seen in 44° South lat.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
George jerked his peaked cap from his head, revealing a tangle of unkempt red hair.
Dope|Sax Rohmer
The orchard ran down a slope of perhaps half an acre to the ferny tangle of the brook bed.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton

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, adjective

Word 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)

tangle²

tangle weed

/ (ˈtæŋɡəl) /

noun

alternative names (esp Scot) for oarweed

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

tangle

OTHER WORDS FOR tangle

Origin of tangle

OTHER WORDS FROM tangle

Words nearby tangle

Other definitions for tangle (2 of 2)

Origin of tangle

Words related to tangle

How to use tangle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tangle (1 of 2)

Derived forms of tangle

Word Origin for tangle

British Dictionary definitions for tangle (2 of 2)

tangle weed

Word Origin for tangle